Aliens: Symbiosis
by CrazyBirdMan59
Summary: A young soldier's first bug hunt goes terribly wrong, leaving him impregnated with a Xenomorph. He goes on to discover there's more to Xenomorphs than just mindless killing. Now joined with a deadly alien, he trains to become an elite soldier, but feels there's something off about his employers; the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. M human x F Xenomorph. Violence, language and a lemon.
1. Chapter 1: Flawed Indiction

The _ERRV_ _Merciful Indictor_ was ghostly silent as it sailed through the starry expanse of space which made up Evernus II's orbit. The mass of front-mounted aerials and communication relays desperately cast their voices upon the deaf planet in the hopes of finding survivors, but alas, there were no responses to be found.

"Gather the marines," Captain Hollis commanded without tearing his eyes away from the viewscreen before him. From their current orbital position, the system's sun was just peeking over the planet's horizon in what would have been a beautiful view if not for the circumstances. Hollis stared grimly onwards at the yellow-brown continents as his crew rushed to do his bidding, as if the shrouded planet held the answers to the questions on his mind.

"Briefing, Sir?" his head staff officer implored. Hollis shook his head.

"I'll see to Lieutenant Dober personally. This mission could be sensitive in nature."

"Aye, Sir."

Straight-backed and hands clasped behind his back, Captain Hollis strode from the bridge with his head held high; reminding his crew of their captain's proud and level-headed nature. True to his word, he met up with Lieutenant Dober in Briefing Room 03 and cobbled together some mission files. Soon after the captain took his leave, the room was quickly filled with twelve marines, standing to dutiful attention.

"At ease men!" Dober barked, thumbing a small device in his hand. The marines took their seats and attentively turned to the screen at the front of the room, which was just now flickering to life. Dober took a moment to take stock of the men he had; he knew each and every one of the marines under his control – their strengths, weaknesses, fears and aspirations. He gave a satisfied nod to himself after the once-over. He mostly had greenhorns to work with, but today he'd been blessed with four ranking soldiers and some of the brightest privates on the ship.

Gunnery Sergeant Robert Dutch was the highest ranking of them all, and would be leading the team on this particular mission. Dutch was a bear of a man; tall, broad, muscular and bristling with thick, grey hair. He was gruff, blunt and harsh, but never cruel to the men under his command. He kept morale high in sticky situations by keeping calm, level-headed and forming an efficient plan of attack quickly. Dober had never seen him enter a combat situation without hefting a heavy variant of the standard Pulse Rifle – an M41AE2 – which boasted a three-hundred round magazine and an elongated barrel for long-ranged fire. The downsides of the additional firepower, however, were its weight and the need to replace the under-barrel grenade launcher with a bipod in order to give the weapon proper balance.

Corporal Tara Piotra was Dutch's right-hand man – or woman, rather. She kept her hair buzz-cut to reflect her law-abiding attitude. She was a hard-ass when it came to laying down the rules, and anyone caught breaking regulation on her watch could count their lucky stars if they got off with a mere verbal warning. Despite this, Tara was often cheerful and gung-ho when around people she trusted; always the first to make small talk on the trip down and the last to board the craft back up. She was fiercely loyal and gladly put others' lives before her own, even when the odds were stacked up against her; she brought 'no man left behind' to a whole new level. Her lean body was well toned, leaving her quick, agile and tough – exactly the kind of marine you'd want at your side when dealing with superior alien lifeforms.

Lance Corporal Patrick Sitherland was the easy-going member of the group. When put on the same team, he constantly butted heads with Tara due to their opposing ends of the same spectrum. He saw rules as something with plenty of leeway, and Dober had found himself with the displeasure of chewing him out over the same little things over and over again – such as grooming habits. Patrick always let his shaggy blonde hair grow into a mop which tumbled over his eyes, which he complained could easily be stowed within his helmet pre-combat. He didn't own an impressive body, as he spent every spare moment slacking off with his buddies rather than cramming in extra training like most of the other dedicated marines on the ship. Despite this, he was an excellent marksman and insisted on toting an M42C Scoped Rifle at all times, showing little regard for what kind of weapons the mission called for. In close combat situations, he resorted to using an M4A3 Service Pistol, frustrating his peers to no end when he ended up having never unholstered his rifle for the entire duration of the mission.

Specialist Marty Yabul was the final non-private marine of the group. He was a quiet, reserved man who was substantially smaller than the rest of the marines on board, being short and rather thin. His redeeming factor was the impressive amount of knowledge he held at his disposal and, while not as impressive as Corporal Sitherland, he possessed a steady aim and a reservoir of firearm expertise. He always analysed the mission thoroughly before choosing a weapon best suited for the area of combat, though shotguns weren't his strong suit. He earned the rank of Specialist through his firearms knowledge, making him the go-to guy when gear malfunctions came into play. He was often an object of scorn for the others due to his nervous and fidgety nature, but none could deny his persistent longing to do the right thing.

The eight privates had yet to make a proper name for themselves, but Dober knew them reservedly. Private Douglas Jett, Private Samantha Rhode, Private Mark Edwards, Private Oscar Earl, Private Janet Fisher, Private Klaus Kenovin, Private, First Class, Eugene Whear and Private, First Class, Jacob Harlor. They all trained hard, performed well and were pretty good with standard equipment.

Samantha was one of the more notable figures, as she was well on the way to becoming a top-notch field medic; she'd earned her shoulder patch featuring the Red Cross, but hadn't quite gotten past her first rank yet.

And Jacob… he was a hell of a good soldier, but his personal opinions got in the way of his progression; he questioned his superiors near constantly and always landed himself in mountains of trouble as a result. He had high moral opinions which he ought to contain better. His 'ask questions first, shoot later' attitude made him a poor leader, as that kind of thinking put a squad on the disadvantage when dealing with dangerous hostiles.

"Alright marines, we have a special mission today," Lieutenant Dober boomed, twirling a small 'wand' between his fingers. The smooth, wooden stick was in actuality a remote for the screen which doubled as a useful tool for pointing at things. "The good captain believes we might have ourselves a bug hunt on our hands…" Dober paused to admire the uncertain sideways glances his privates exchanged, chuckling internally. "I understand that the majority of you are greenhorns who ain't seen an alien before, so you'd better listen closely kids. These creatures the white-coats call 'Xenomorphs' are fast, deadly and remorseless killing machines. They have earned themselves the nickname 'perfect organism', when in reality they are anything but! They are vulnerable to excessive quantities of caseless rounds and controlled spontaneous combustion. That's the fancy-ass way of saying 'blow them the hell up!'"

A few quiet chuckles graced the Lieutenant's ears, triggering a pleased smirk to flicker across his face, before he forced himself to press his lips into a grim line, continuing the briefing. "This colony was a Weyland-Yutani investment, full to the brim with labs and lab-coats, as well as a fully-fledged armed and dangerous security force. All communication has ceased, leaving us to believe that the Xenomorphs have broken containment and taken the colony for themselves. Now, I'm sure the execs would be much obliged if you'd be so kind as to avoid damaging any salvageable equipment, but your lives and those of the survivors are your number one priority. Number two priority is destroying the infestation at any cost. Number three priority is re-containing the Xenomorph Queen and any specimens you are able to get your hands on. Succeed in all three objectives, and you lucky bastards will be receiving double salary for the next three months."

With a click of his wand, Dober switched to the next slide on-screen. A 2D blueprint of the colony appeared, scrawled white lettering marking certain points on the detailed layout of every room, door and vent in the building. "As I'm sure you'll all be aware, Xenos tend to be drawn to the warm, moist areas of colonies, i.e. the energy core. This beauty lies in the centre of the colony, and may be heavily guarded depending on how long these guys have been here. There are three entrances which will be breached simultaneously by three squads of four. Sergeant Dutch, you'll be leading Alpha Squad with Specialist Yabul and two supporting privates to the security centre via the North Gate. Your mission is to regain command of the colony so as to control and monitor the Xenos' movements. Corporal Piotra, you'll be taking Bravo Squad through the West Gate to divert attention from Alpha Squad. When you meet up, you'll be accompanying them to the control centre. Corporal Sitherland, you're in charge of getting Charlie Squad through the East Gate and to higher ground on the catwalks, where you will be supporting Alpha and Bravo Squads as needed. Are your missions clear marines?"

"Sir, yes sir!" came the unanimous cry.

"I want boots on the ground in half an hour, so be prepped and ready for drop in ten minutes. Dismissed!"

The twelve marines immediately reported to the armoury, pulling their armour on over their fatigues and snatching their preferred weapons off racks. Magazines were checked, bolts cocked experimentally, scopes adjusted and HUDs calibrated. Then they were off, just as quickly as they'd come, emerging from the shelves of weapons and into the hangar, where a small dropship awaited them.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

 **Evernus II  
1700 Hours  
Mission Time: 00:05  
Alpha Squad**

Sergeant Dutch slipped his helmet onto his head, watching his HUD flicker to life and sync with the others' as the three men under his control did the same. Along with Specialist Yabul, he'd been grouped with Privates Harlor and Rhode, the trio sitting on the seats opposite him, the dropship's aisle separating him from his subordinates.

"Touching down in three minutes," the pilot informed them over the intercom, "I'll be standing by in an isolated location once I've dropped you off; these guys have a knack for getting in your landing gear."

"Thanks for the heads-up, ma'am," Dutch chuckled. He turned to his nervous, fidgeting men, noting how they quickly averted their eyes and stilled themselves under his scrutinising gaze. "I take it you greenhorns have read the files?"

"Yes, sir," they responded uneasily.

"Good. We stay in a tight group and watch all quarters. Stand clear of all vents and maintenance entrances, and try to stay in sight of Charlie Squad whenever possible. We'll be fine as long as we can gun them down before they get close."

"And… if they do get close?" Private Harlor asked hesitantly.

"Then the odds begin stacking against us, so don't let it happen marine! Am I understood?"

"Sir, yes sir. I'll stay frosty, sir."

"Glad to hear it. Now, straps off; we're here." Even as he said so, the howling of the dropship's engines wound down to a quiet humming, whilst the rear hatch slowly swung outwards until it hit the ground. Dutch was the first to jog down the heavy-duty ramp, hefting his weapon at his side with one arm and signalling his squad to follow with the other.

Marty checked his M39 Sub-Machine Gun was firmly attached to his hip before grunting as he took the burden of two large, heavy, black cases upon himself. The two privates brought up the rear, keeping their standard M14A Pulse Rifles at eye level, seeming to be led by the barrel as they swept the area for hostiles. The roar of engines picked up behind them as soon as the last pair of boots hit the desolate, concrete-clad ground, signalling their ride was leaving, prompting Samantha to throw a hesitant and longing look over her shoulder at the receding vehicle.

With nothing but hand signals, Dutch commanded Marty to hang back in cover whilst Jacob and Samantha took up positions on either side of the enormous, heavy gates which barred their progress into the colony.

Even from his vantage point, Marty couldn't see much of the typical colony. The imposing grey structure was enormous, bulky and ugly with too few windows and a thick metal shell protecting it from the elements of the world outside. He could however, spot an exceptionally large dish hanging limply from its tower towards the farthest edge of the colony. He hoped that it wasn't a hardware fault, as he didn't much fancy climbing the flimsy metal structure which touched the clouds above in order to perform a manual alignment.

Meanwhile, Dutch was plugging a small device into the door controls, and with the tapping of a few buttons, a mechanical whine sounded, the doors slowly rolling open to allow them entrance. Jacob and Samantha immediately sprang from their hiding places, beams of light from their gun-mounted torches bouncing off the metallic walls as they frantically scoured the darkness within for any signs of life. Jacob let out a shaky sigh of relief, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. He was both excited for and dreading his first encounter with these 'Aliens' – he couldn't tell which emotion was more predominant, but he didn't exactly have a lot of choice, a fact which he was reminded of as Dutch motioned for them to form up as he stepped inside.

Jacob sighed and kept his gun steady as he fell in behind Samantha, who had taken it upon herself to stay glued to Marty's defenceless side. "Private Harlor," Dutch barked suddenly.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get your eyes on a motion tracker – I want to know any and all movements in the area."

"Yes, sir." Jacob dutifully did as he was told, lowering his weapon while he fetched the bulky device from his pocket. He flicked it on, nodding approvingly as the blue screen flickered to life and displayed the familiar cone shape which was bisected by lines at regular intervals. Besides the quiet humming and crackling, the motion tracker was silent. Awkwardly, Jacob manoeuvred himself so he was holding his motion tracker in his left hand and his gun's handle with his right, resting the weapon's fore grip on his left forearm so the two objects were side by side, allowing him to quickly switch from tracker to iron sights. Perfect.

"Charlie Squad, checking in," Corporal Sitherland's voice announced over their short-ranged comms. "We're in position on the catwalks. We got a good view over the middle section of the colony; swing by at any time."

"Bravo Squad, taking up position beneath the catwalks, awaiting the arrival of Alpha," Corporal Piotra updated them.

"We're almost there," Dutch replied, "we just need to make our way through Administration, then we'll be right with you. Sergeant Dutch out."

"Movement," Jacob growled, a meek beep sounding from his motion tracker. There was a skittering in the vents above them, and guns were immediately raised, poised to strike. Marty dropped his cases and whipped out his SMG, following the path of the vent above with his torch beam. The others' bounced around frantically as they searched the area. "There!" Jacob yelled, not looking up from his screen as he jabbed a finger at the vent before him. The beeping had stopped momentarily, meaning their enemy was still. A sitting duck.

Three shrill roars accompanied the blinding muzzle flashes as the vent was riddled with bullet holes, and Jacob's motion tracker beeped insistently when their target resumed moving, hurtling away at full speed. He dutifully kept his finger trained on its position, until the onslaught of bullets caused the vent to tear open and collapse into the hallway.

Crimson blood dribbled onto the floor as a tiny, brown, furry body wheezed pitifully on the floor, a large hole in its side. Marty groaned as he ejected his spent magazine, rubbing his eyes warily.

"Sir!" Corporal Tara Piotra exclaimed over the comms. "Is everyone okay? We heard gunfire!"

"We're fine. It was just a fucking rat," Dutch cursed, tilting his gun to view the ammo counter. "Continuing to the rendezvous point."

"Roger. Piotra out."

The squad regrouped, and Marty retrieved his cases from where he'd carelessly thrown them, allowing them to move out once more. They came up on the Administration office, where new arrivals would be processed, and stepped through the lifeless metal detectors, leading the way with their gun-mounted torches. Jacob paused briefly to nab a PDA through the window of the security booth. When questioned, he shrugged and simply said:

"You never know what useful titbits you'll find on these things." Dutch rolled his eyes and allowed the man to tuck the device into his vest before signalling the group to continue forward.

"Still no Xenomorph sightings," Samantha observed, breaking her silent streak. "Maybe it's a false alarm?"

"Maybe," Dutch humoured her, "but then where are all the people?"

"Maybe they're all throwing a big-ass party somewhere?" Jacob joked, a smirk finding its way to his face despite the grim situation.

"Well, they'd better hope they _have_ been taken by Xenos then – they didn't invite me," Marty remarked with a chuckle.

"Shut it you two; we're approaching the catwalks now," Dutch snapped. The four soldiers stepped through the large doorway and found themselves within a hangar-like area. It was enormous, box shaped, and filled with huge shipping containers. High above was a series of suspended walkways which branched off into maintenance shafts and at least one cargo crane cockpit. Dutch spotted Corporal Sitherland give a single wave, before pressing his fingers to his helmet.

"How's the pest control going sir?" he inquired with a mocking chuckle.

"Haven't squashed any bugs yet, but we did manage to nail a rat," Dutch shot back without missing a beat. Sitherland gave a predatorial grin as he chuckled again and shouldered his rifle. "Now, you guys stay put while we take the control room; I'll update your orders once we've confirmed the Hive's location."

"Understood sir. Hear back from ya soon." Dutch nodded at the man in the walkways above and returned his attention to his squad, adjusting his grip on the heavy-duty rifle in his arms.

"Let's get moving. Schematics say it should be a few sections away from our current position, close to the centre of the colony. Watch out for signs of infestation; we'll be getting close to the core, so running into resistance is a possibility." Corporal Piotra signalled her group to follow along behind the Sergeant as he and his men began moving out.

Once again, Alpha squad found themselves stepping cautiously through dull grey corridors, checking every corner with slow swoops from their torches. This time, however, they had Bravo squad taking up position behind them, crouching with their weapons at the ready every time they stopped to check the area.

"Nothing. Not a human, Xeno, or even a damned rat," Corporal Tara Piotra murmured.

"Stay focused," Dutch advised her, "you never know where these things are hiding. Don't let your guard down, check every shadow and exposed vent. Getting comfy is a sure-fire way to get us all killed."

"Copy that, sir," Tara sighed, reluctantly twisting her torso with her sights pressed against her eye, critically examining every square inch the white beam washed over. Unease was twisting her stomach. Something felt wrong here.

"Schematics say the core is two rooms over that-a-way," Private Douglass Jett pointed out, jabbing a finger at the wall to their right. "The Xenos should be attacking us by now. I have a bad feeling about this…"

Dutch shook his head at the antsy marines and poked his head out from where he was pressed against the wall, allowing him to peek into the corridor around the intersection's corner. He couldn't see any movement, so he quickly followed the action up by stepping out and aiming his weapon down the hallway. A quick sweep revealed nothing but a dead, neon sign reading 'SECURITY and CONTROL'.

Dutch eagerly gave the signal for his squads to form up, relieved that they would finally be able to get a firm grip on the situation, as well as establish a base of operations. The sooner they stopped wandering out in the open and hunkered down for a plan of attack, the better. Privates Jett and Whear walked backwards, bringing up the rear and ensuring nothing could sneak up on their team's exposed backsides.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Dutch pulled out his ID and swiped it over the small terminal beside the door. The pad beeped and flashed green. The door didn't move. Dutch frowned and swiped again. A mechanical whine sounded, and with a start, Dutch realised something was jamming the door, preventing it from opening. It was a sliding door, which meant there must be something caught in the mechanisms. Or…

Or something sticky sealing the door shut. No signs of welding meant it was something sticky, robust and durable once set. Something which made an excellent material for building hives…

"Backs against the wall!" Dutch roared. "Guns up, shoulder lights on! Check your ammo and prep those motion trackers, we have company!"

A low, ominous hissing emanated from all around them, the oppressive sounds cornering them in the tight corridor. "Nail them at range! Don't let them come any closer than the end of that corridor!"

Black forms began spilling in, screeching bloody murder at the invaders, who let loose battle cries of their own as fingers tightened on triggers. There were too many of them, covering every surface, sending sprays of green acid splattering onto the walls and floor.

"Grenade!" Private Jett yelled, tucking the stock of his gun into his armpit as his fingers shifted to the trigger of the under-barrel grenade launcher. A single, rounded projectile soared out with a comical _poomf!_ of released gases. The Xenos must have recognised the small object, for they attempted to scatter a second too late. The marines covered their eyes with their arms as a resounding _boom!_ shook the corridor, deafeningly-loud in the confined space. Private Klaus Kenovin screamed as a wave of green blood soaked him. He fell, writhing in agony, to the floor.

"Whear! Get the fucking door!" Dutch screamed over the shrill cries of their rifles emptying their rounds into the enemy. Whear dropped his weapon and fumbled the plasma torch off his belt, before crouching down in front of the door and flicking the plasma flame on. Sparks began washing the room in strobes of orange light as the Xenomorphs got close – too close. Private Samantha Rhode yelped in protest as her Pulse Rifle bubbled and contorted when it was hit by a stray splash of Xeno blood. She jumped in fright and dropped the sizzling weapon, snatching her pistol off her belt and cracking off shots with that instead.

Dutch quickly wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, ignoring how it shifted his helmet uncomfortably, as he slapped in a fresh clip. "Whear!" he yelled warningly.

"Halfway there sir!" Dutch gritted his teeth and rolled into a wall to avoid the lashing tail of a Xenomorph. Kenovin, however, wasn't so lucky. From his vulnerable fetal position on the floor, the bladed, bony appendage sliced right through the right side of his chest and hip. Tara suddenly stepped out in front of the group, screwing a small canister into the bottom of a mess of pipes and gauges which was vaguely gun-shaped.

"Down! Down!" Dutch ordered, throwing himself onto the floor and shielding his face with his arms. From there he, and all the others, could only rely on their armour to protect them. Tara held the weapon at her hip and yanked the trigger, releasing a torrent of orange flames which raked across the walls and carpeted the floor like water filling a bucket. Pained screeches filled the air as midnight black limbs flailed helplessly, bony bodies crashing into walls in a primal panic.

No sooner had the flames began to dwindle, when Tara tightened her finger's grip once more, showering the area with fire until there was an enormous wall of flame separating the aliens from the cowering marines. Dutch winced as he felt the heat wash over his already-stuffy armour, the metal heating to dangerous temperatures.

Then the roaring of fire died down to a mere crackle of lingering flames. Tara grimaced and threw down her empty weapon, wasting no time in drawing her M14A Pulse Rifle from its sling on her back and emptying that instead.

"Private!" she snapped irritably as the cautious hisses of humbled Xenos grew closer again. Tentatively, the black creatures were poking their heads out from their hiding places. When no flames licked at their sensitive bodies, they began stalking closer. Slowly, ever so slowly, ready to bolt if more fire appeared.

"Done!" Private Eugene Whear yelled. Dutch stumbled over and shoved his ID card at the sensor. The door hissed open.

"Go go go!" Dutch roared, giving his men scornful shoves to get them staggering through the doorway faster, helping the marines in firing off pot-shots as they retreated from the emboldened aliens, who were sprinting towards them, eager to continue their onslaught. Finally, the last marine was through, allowing Dutch to grab Kenovin's limp body by the collar and drag him inside. As soon as Kenovin's foot was through, Private Jacob Harlor slammed his hand on the door controls, sealing it tight. Half a second later, a heavy _thump_ resounded through the thick metal, signifying a momentous alien had just collided with it.

"Shit!" Tara cursed once she'd regained her breath. "They ambushed us! They fucking ambushed us, man! How the hell did they know to do that?"

"Who cares?" Dutch growled. "We're here for a reason. Let's complete the mission and get the hell out of here. I'll radio the 'Indictor as soon as we get this place up and running."


	2. Chapter 2: Greenhorns

**A/N: These next few chapters feature a few exchanges in ASL (American Sign Language), which I put a lot of research into, but couldn't for the life of me find consistent sources. People seem to have 'accents' when they speak ASL, where the gestures will differ slightly from teacher to teacher. To anyone out there who actually speaks ASL, if I'm doing a terrible job, you are welcome to correct me.  
And for those of you who are unfamiliar with my ways, I'll answer any questions from the reviews section within a brief A/N at the start of each chapter, so here's the first one:  
** **Xahraxs:** **How does the main guy meet the xeno and see past the obvious and they end up together?** **  
** **A:** **You'll just have to wait and see ;)**

 **Evernus II  
1715 Hours  
Mission Time: 00:20  
Alpha Squad, Bravo Squad**

"Sergeant Dutch to Merciful Indictor, do you read?" the aforementioned Sergeant demanded.

"Signal's buzzy, but I read ya," a gruff voice assured him from the other end, static distorting his voice irritatingly.

The room they found themselves in wasn't anything special; it was circular in shape, reinforced glass covering about a quarter of its wall. This gave them a clear view into the corridor beyond, which was actually a T-intersection. One way led further into the colony, the second to the armoury and security division, the third winding onwards to the colony's heart; its centre core.

Facing this window were four slightly-curved computer banks, equipped with consoles and monitoring equipment, as well as access to security doors, turrets and cameras. A few lockers were mounted on the wall opposite the window, boasting a pitiful selection of underpowered firearms which offered no motivation for any of the marines to break into the storage devices to retrieve. The only other features in the room as they'd found it had been the small, round table within the dip at the centre of the room, and the two doors to the left and right of the window. The first one was the one which the marines had come from, and the second led into the intersection beyond the glass.

Dutch glanced at this second door, observing Marty fussing over a clunky turret which was mounted upon a flimsy-looking tripod. Every so often he would stoop down to retrieve something from one of his open cases which he'd brought along with him, before tampering with the device further. Thick cables now snaked their way across the floor, hooked up to the portable generator they'd found so as to supply power to the consoles. The other case Marty had brought was laying upturned upon the centre table, a few esoteric electronic doo-dads scattered around it. It had previously contained the device which was currently attached to the side of a computer, jacking into the systems so as to allow the marines unrestricted access without the need for clearance and passwords.

Then the Sergeant turned his attention back to the screen before him, eyes staring intently at a small, 3D model of the colony's core rotating slowly. Spindly arrows pointed out bits and pieces of functioning or malfunctioning parts, which was the cause for the man chewing his lip thoughtfully.

"The core's offline; we're running off reserves right now, which means we only have environmental control. If we want to get security up and running to contain these things, we're gonna have to send a team in to fix the core." He tapped his chin in thought for a moment. "I would lead the team myself, but I've got to stay here and keep a handle on the situation. I need Yabul at my side to maintain the equipment and Kenovin's out of action, which means our medic's stuck here to tend to him."

Finally, he turned to the four other occupants of the room. "Bravo team, looks like you're going in. Private Harlor, you're with them. I'll radio Charlie squad the schematics. They'll support you from the corridor vents and the catwalks in the core room. I'll try to keep you updated from here, but I won't have much info 'til we get the power back on."

"You got it sir," Tara growled fearlessly. "Charlie squad, check your kits for acid damage, top up your clips and get ready to move; we're gonna kick some alien ass." Jacob slid the bolt back on his Pulse rifle and allowed the clip to flop out into his palm. Then began the tedious task of taking handfuls of caseless rounds and clicking them into the magazine. His dexterous fingers made quick work of the small cylinders of metal, setting a quick, efficient, steady rhythm. He jumped in fright and almost dropped the now-full clip when he looked up to find Corporal Tara Piotra watching him intently. He lunged out and managed to catch the ammunition after fumbling with it for a few seconds, before slapping it back into his gun and smacking the bolt back into place.

"Ma'am?" he asked shakily, after a lengthy pause. Tara grinned slightly, amused at the marine's antics, before shouldering her rifle and pulling her goggles down off her helmet. Jacob's trained eyes could just barely make out the blue fuzzy lines which flickered on each lens that made up the Corporal's HUD.

"With Kenovin out of action, I find myself in need of a right wing. Can I count on you Private?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Glad to hear it Marine. Bravo Squad; let's move!" The four soldiers quickly bunched up into a tight formation, Jacob dutifully taking up position at the group's right side. Samantha buzzed the door open for them, allowing them to march out with their guns at the ready. The door slid shut behind them with an ominous _clap_. Tara quickly signalled her men forward, remaining as silent as possible to avoid alerting the aliens to their presence. They were back in the open now; vulnerable. She felt like cringing at each and every footstep, which sounded like thunderclaps in the eerily silent colony.

It wasn't long before they came up on a thick, heavy door with a giant pneumatic clasp sealing it tight. Beside it was a small keypad, a red light blinking insistently above neat rows of numbered buttons. "Jett, run a bypass. Harlor and Whear, take up breach positions on either side of that door," Tara commanded softly, still too apprehensive to speak louder than a hoarse whisper. Fighting Xenos was no walk in the park under normal circumstances, but something about this whole mission had Tara's stomach in knots.

Seconds later, Jett was ripping the panel off the keypad's front, exposing the motherboard and wires within. He carefully selected the right circuits and yanked them out, before plugging them into his small hack device. Then he was tapping away at the keys, a frown of intense concentration contorting his face.

Meanwhile, Jacob slid his shoulder against the wall to the right of the door, M1A4 pointed at the ceiling to keep the barrel out of sight when those giant sheets of metal slid aside. He briefly made eye contact with Private Whear, who was the mirror image of himself, bar the fact he held a shotgun in place of an M1A4. Jacob took a small amount of comfort in the fact that the close-quarters weapon held a small under-barrel flamethrower – those seemed to be severely less lethal, but astoundingly more effective against the Xenos. Stunning an alien with the fire-spewing attachment, then cracking its skull with a well-placed buckshot would prove to be a lethal combo.

"Breach in ten seconds…" Jett cautioned them. Tara raised her rifle to eye level, letting out a shaky breath as she fixated her gaze down her sights. Jett raised a splayed hand, then slowly began curling his fingers down, one by one, until he was yanking a closed fist down in the same motion you'd use to honk a truck's horn. As he did so, the door hissed open, metal groaning in protest as it was suddenly moved after weeks of disuse. Tara slowly guided her gun-mounted beam in long, sweeping arcs through the next room.

It was immediately obvious that this was, in fact, the Xenomorph hive. Odd, hard residue coated the walls and ceiling, weird slime dripping down from the rippling structures. The intricate patterns made by the resin looked akin to a waterfall that had been spontaneously frozen, interrupted only by vent openings, doorways and odd swirling patterns which looked something like cocooned fossils.

"Clear," Tara announced, before placing two fingers on her headset. "Charlie Squad, what's your status?"

"In the vents," Sitherland answered immediately. "We're waiting by the catwalks in the core room. I don't think we've been spotted yet, and I'd like to keep it that way until you guys arrive. Radio silence would be much appreciated."

"Roger that Corporal. Piotra out." She signalled her squad to re-group back into standard formation before marching forward, treading carefully through the darkness. The quartet flicked on their shoulder-mounted lights to accompany their weapon-mounted ones for extra light, as one wrong move could spell the end for all four of them.

"This is incredible…" Jacob breathed, lowering his weapon for a moment in order to outstretch an open palm.

"Harlor!" Tara hissed, but the man was mesmerised by the alien structure. It looked like there was a small crater in the wall, except the crater was filled with a flowing, swirling pattern. It almost looked like a fossil in the way little bumps and segments protruded from the bubbly curls. Jacob brushed two fingers against the odd material, then screamed in terror when the wall screeched and leapt at him.

"Shit! They're coming out of the walls!" Whear cried, firing blindly as the room suddenly came to life, Xenos pouring out of similar craters which they had mistaken for parts of the wall. "They're coming out of the God-damned walls!" Whear was panicking, spamming his trigger and waving his gun around, unable to identify targets, camouflaged as they were.

Jacob grabbed the tail of a nearby Xenomorph, being careful not to touch its bladed tip. The Xeno was concentrated on attacking someone else, which meant it kept on running, its momentum yanking Jacob out from beneath the alien which had him pinned. He scrambled to draw his firearm even as he stumbled to his feet, having dropped his rifle in the initial attack.

Jett yelled something incomprehensible over the shrill scream of his Pulse Rifle, showering the room in caseless munition as he whipped his weapon around, not bothering to let go of the trigger while switching targets. A Xenomorph screeched at him when it was hit, before leaping onto the roof, revealing the startled form of Whear. With a cry of agony, his body was violently thrown against the wall, blood pouring out of a dozen bullet wounds.

"Friendly fire!" Tara yelled over the chaos. "Check your fucking targets!" Jacob sprinted over to Whear's motionless form. There was still a sliver of hope yet – and as long as there was the tiniest chance the man was still alive, Jacob would stand at his side. He threw down his pistol and grabbed the Private's shotgun from where it lay upon the floor. A quick tap of the under-barrel flamethrower had the closest aliens scrambling away in confusion, giving him enough time to pump out three buckshots into their ranks before one dropped on him from the roof.

The shotgun went skittering across the floor, flamethrower still spewing fire as it spiralled on the ground, causing Xenos to leap in fright like startled cats. Jett yelped in fear as he was stabbed through the shoulder and yanked away from his comrades, weapon flying out of his hands.

Jacob squirmed in the Xenomorph's grasp, eyes wide with horror as that inner maw slowly crept out from between its razor-sharp teeth.

"Retreat!" Tara commanded. "Fall back to the core! Go go go!" Somehow, she was still on her feet, running backwards as she fired bursts from her Pulse Rifle at the pursuing Xenomorphs. She snatched up the fallen shotgun and pumped a single buckshot into the Xeno which had Jacob pinned. Their screams of pain intermingled as one. But Jacob had no time to nurse his sizzling shoulder; he was hauled to his feet by Tara and sprinting down the corridor. "Sitherland! Fire support! Now!"

The duo collapsed through a massive archway into an expansive room. It was huge and circular, built around a giant, dark, glass cylinder. Catwalks clung to its side at regular intervals, and several blocky monitoring stations were dotted around with dulled lights signalling their status. The centrepiece was absolutely caked in the Xeno resin, with a giant, hulking alien form pressed against the glass object's side.

As Jacob pushed himself up off the ground, he could only stare in horror at the forest of ovular objects which lined the steel floor. Eggs. Then his eyes roamed upwards towards the outer wall, which had an assortment of dead bodies plastered to it. All had expressions of pure terror frozen on their lifeless faces, directed at the massive holes which had been punched through their chests.

Then the room was cast into sporadic flashes of light as rifles were discharged from the catwalks above. "Sitherland!" Tara cried. "Behind you!" Then the Xenomorphs from the corridor caught up with them, their ranks bulking up with the additional aliens from the hive. There was a scream from above as a Xeno knocked someone off the catwalk, but they managed to grab someone's leg and halt their descent, dangling over the edge.

"Let go! You're gonna pull me down with you!" the leg's owner protested, neglecting his rifle in favour of shaking his leg and grabbing a handrail. "Get off me! Get the hell off me!" Then the body was dislodged, and Private Oscar Earl screamed as he plummeted to his death. Jacob tried to ignore the sickening _crunch_ which could be heard over the approaching Xenos' hisses of contempt.

"There!" Jacob panted, pointing at a monitoring station mere metres away. "Let's get our backs to a wall!" Tara only nodded and began backpedalling towards their destination, firing off bursts from her Pulse Rifle to cover them. Finally, they stepped through the doorway and Tara slammed her fist onto the door controls, sealing the bulkhead behind them. Jacob smashed his elbow through the window at the small building's front and caught the pistol Tara tossed to him. He levelled the weapon and began firing careful shots at the Xeno swarm.

 _Click click click._ Jacob's hand gripped empty air as he reached for another clip. He glanced over fearfully to Tara, whose weapon had the number '29' displayed in blocky, glowing red digits on the side. Jacob had nothing left to fight with, bar a single frag grenade clipped to his belt. He slipped it into his hand and pulled the pin, keeping the trigger compressed.

 _Click._

Tara grimaced and adjusted her grip on her weapon, before sending a single grenade from her under-barrel launcher soaring through the air. She watched with satisfaction as a Xeno got splattered across a wall, but they were too close now. An explosion in here would kill them both as well.

The Jacob hurdled through the window and began sprinting in the opposite direction of the exit.

"Harlor! What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, leaping through to follow. There were dozens of Xenos closing in on him, and he was going the wrong way.

"Get out of here!" Jacob yelled back, before releasing the trigger on his grenade. The Xenomorphs converged on him, leaping at him. He let the small, round object fall from his hand.

Tara covered her mouth with a single hand as the doggy-pile of Xenomorphs exploded, taking Jacob with it.

"All remaining units; pull out. I repeat, pull out. Get back to the command centre!" Tara ordered, before letting loose her final grenade in an act of spite. This time, she was gone long before the explosive could splatter any Xeno limbs onto the walls.

~~~~~~~~~~(Shortly Afterwards…)~~~~~~~~~~

Corporal Tara Piotra stiffened as something clattered to the floor a few rooms away. Heart pounding in her chest, she stood stock still for a few minutes, ears straining to pick out any more sounds in the darkness. Finally, she continued creeping her way down the white-washed corridor, sticking to the shadows and ducking under nearby furniture every time her jumpy imagination saw a shadow shifting or heard a low hiss emanating from the ceiling. Making sure to crane her head in every direction to ensure the coast was clear, Tara pressed her shoulder against a heavy bulkhead door and curled her fists around a heavy lever set into the door's front. She eased the stiff lever along slowly, jerking to a stop every time it made the slightest squeaking sound. Then with a heavy _clunk_ that had her jumping in fright, the door swung open.

Tara ducked into the tiny closet-sized room, making sure to slide the lever back into place behind her, locking herself in. From there, she placed a hand on the first rung of the ladder set into the back wall and hauled herself up. To ease her panicked mind, she counted every rung. _One, two, three, four, five, six…_

Then she was carefully shoving a hatch aside and poking her head up into the maintenance access tunnels above. Dim red emergency lights lit the way, with pristine white block lettering printed on the wall at regular intervals, informing any maintenance crew of the section they currently occupied. And so began Tara's slow crawl back to the colony's core.

She'd tried desperately to retreat to the command centre, but had been cut off by Xenomorphs leaping out of vents, forcing her to duck into a side passage and hide in some labs. If she could get primary systems back online, then maybe Dutch would have a chance at helping them. Just maybe. She didn't know what had become of Charlie Squad, nor Jett or even those occupying the marines' temporary base of operations, as she'd long since lost her radio in one of the battles. Her helmet too was absent, along with a few random pieces of armour. Her shoulder-mounted torch was still intact enough to function, but Tara dared not use it in case it attracted the attention of the aliens hunting her.

She cautiously wrapped her fingers through the mesh of a ventilation grate and heaved it aside, taking every precaution not to make any noise. Then she was on the catwalks where Charlie Squad had been attacked a mere quarter of an hour ago. She grimaced as she stepped over the corpse of a Charlie Squad rifleman, pausing only to snap the dog tags from her neck. Private Janet Fisher, KIA on her first bug-hunt. The Way-Yu was insane sending such a small team down. Sure, they were meant to be a reconnaissance team, but this was Xenomorphs, not some shoddy group of Insurrectionist guerrillas. And sending so many privates down was a mistake – it was as if this whole mission was just some kind of test by the WY; send in some cannon fodder, await results.

Then something shot out from the shadows, seizing her body and yanking her into the darkness. She tried to scream, but a firm hand clasped over her mouth prevented any sound from escaping. Before she could help herself, she slammed an elbow into her attacker's side, receiving a hiss of pain as the hold on her was released.

"Watch it!" Lance Corporal Patrick Sitherland scorned her in a low whisper.

"Corporal!" Tara breathed in relief. "Where's the rest of your squad?"

"Gone. Wiped out. I didn't see where Edwards got off to, but I doubt he'll last very long on his own. He's probably dead already. Dead, or down there." Tara followed his finger down to the circular room below, where dead bodies hung from the walls, empty eggs lined up before them in neat rows. "Your friend's still alive though – here." Tara accepted the marksman's binoculars she was being handed, and carefully zoomed the digital display in, accepting Patrick's guidance until she spotted the limp body of Jacob, chest still intact, but an empty egg poised before him.

"Shit. How? I saw him incinerate himself!" Patrick shook his head.

"He dropped the grenade at the last moment. A Xeno got between them before it detonated. He got struck a glancing blow, and a shower of acid, but he survived. There's another one of ours there too, just a little to the left." Tara adjusted her sight in the indicated direction, and was relieved to find Private Douglas Jett dangling from the wall. Then a sick churning took over, washing away any joy she could have felt. Both marines had an empty egg before them. They had clocks on them now, and when they stopped ticking, the marines' lives would end.

"Is there any way…?"

"Yeah. They'll have a fighting chance if we can get them back to the 'Indictor. If we put them on ice and take them to the Corporation, the doctors might be able to remove the embryos before it's too late. But every second between now and the cryo tubes slashes their chances. We need a plan."

"The resin holding them down; it's too strong to break by hand. Whear had a plasma torch on him, and his body is just up that corridor."

"So we get the torch, cut our men down, and get the hell outta here," Patrick concluded. But Tara shook her head.

"No. We'll get blocked off. The Xenos move faster than us, especially when they're in the vents. We need to restore security access to Dutch if we want a shot at getting out of here. Which means getting into those four control stations and reactivating the core. All without being caught by the Xenos."

Patrick nodded.

"Piece of cake. The Xenos here are all sleeping. They're much easier to evade when they're asleep, so all we gotta do is make sure we don't make any loud noises. We should split up; one of us gets the torch and cuts our men down, the other can reactivate the core."

"I'll get the core, you get the torch," Tara commanded. Another nod from Patrick.

"Aye ma'am. Let's get down there then. The sooner we get out of here, the better it is for our pregnant friends." Patrick fished out a length of durable steel wire rope and clipped it onto the catwalk railing. It was standard to have such equipment in a marksman's kit, as their job often required them to scale large landmarks in order to get a vantage point. The duo was incredibly lucky that Lance Corporal Patrick Sitherland's Sergeant had drilled one phrase into his head during training: 'Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.' Patrick gave a silent salute to the old and probably dead man, before allowing the rope to soundlessly spiral to the floor below.

With an affirming nod from his superior, he took the lead and gripped the rope tightly with his gloved hands. He wrapped his legs around the section of rope below him, before slowly shimmying downwards. Even though it was a long drop, he didn't want to gain enough speed for a noisy landing. A grunt of pain or the thump of his boots could be enough to startle a slumbering Xeno for all he knew. He gently allowed his toes to touch the ground, before gravity took hold and the rest of his body followed shortly. He flashed a thumbs-up to his superior above, before creeping through the darkness, taking one, shuffling step at a time, careful not to scuff his boots on the floor. The midnight black skin of the Xenomorphs blended perfectly into the darkness of the large room. All the emergency lights had been covered in resin which all but blocked their red-tinted glow, meaning that without his torch to guide him, Patrick was almost blind.

Patrick stifled a gasp as he only just managed to stop himself in time, his outstretched hand inches away from the protruding spine of a soundly-sleeping Xeno, its head tucked into its chest and its arms wrapped around itself with its tail curled at the front. It would almost have been cute, if not for the fact that these things were vicious killing machines that would tear him limb from limb if they woke up. The creature let out a barely-audible hiss and twitched its bladed tail, before settling down and resuming its even breathing. Right, breathing. Patrick slowly let out the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding fearfully, before taking a shaky step closer to the outlying corridor.

He was almost afraid that the Xenomorphs would hear his pounding heart as adrenaline pumped through his system, the deep throbbing of his blood echoing in his ears. If he made one wrong move, it wouldn't just be the end for him, but Corporal Piotra as well, and probably everyone left alive on this mission. Not to mention the two soldiers relying on them for a timely rescue. Finally, Patrick stumbled out into the corridor beyond, relieved as the resin thinned and dim red light forced its way through the coated ceiling. He carefully side-stepped some potholes created by the Xenos' acidic blood until he could finally crouch beside the corpse of Private Whear. The poor bastard looked like Swiss cheese. Taken out by friendly fire – good God the universe was a cruel place. Patrick took the time to nab the man's dog tags before shifting his body to gain access to the plasma torch hooked to his belt.

Meanwhile, Tara was carefully picking her own way through the forest of eggs and sleeping Xenomorphs. She was having a considerably easier time seeing as she still held Patrick's marksman binoculars, which had in-built night vision. She grimaced at the memories of her recent battle alongside Private Harlor as she slowly slid herself through the broken window, biting back a whimper when a shard of broken glass slit open her vulnerable shoulder. At least it didn't make any noise. It was as she was booting up the thankfully-soundless console that she realised with a start that she might not be able to get into the other stations. She had opted not to take the door because it had previously made a loud grinding sound when it slid open, which would surely have disturbed every single Xeno in the hive.

She quickly, but still cautiously, skirted her way around the edges of the room, finding her way to the next control station. She breathed out a silent sigh of relief when she found the next door gaping open. She repeated her actions on the second console, setting a timer for the warm-up sequence, making sure to adjust it according to her watch to ensure all four of the core systems booted up at the same time. She praised her lucky stars when she found the next door wedged half-open by some Xeno resin, grimacing at the blood spray covering the walls. Obviously somebody had tried to hide in there, but had ultimately just cornered themselves and got mauled. Tara ducked under the doorway, mastering the fine balance between not hitting her head and not scraping her metal-clad stomach across the metal floor. The third console was a piece of cake, and she pulled the initiation lever before squirming her way back out again.

Then she cursed mentally at the tightly-sealed room which was the last control station. She walked three circles around the infernal building, but the only way in would be to smash the glass – a god-awful idea – or open the door. Shaking her head, she set her mouth into a deep frown and made her way back to where the two Privates were dangling unknowingly from the walls. She managed to get there just as Patrick arrived, plasma torch clutched close to his chest. Tara opened her mouth to speak, before clapping it shut and glancing sideways at the Xenomorphs mere metres away. She quickly pointed her index fingers towards each other and circled them once, before pushing them away with her thumbs sticking out, brows raised in question.

 _"_ _Sign language?_ " she inquired in sign language. Patrick held out a closed fist and rocked it back, then forward, as if it were his head and he was nodding.

" _Yes._ " He added a couple more gestures onto the end, " _Sister deaf_."

" _Door, one loud._ " Patrick repeated her last action, flicking his splayed palms away from his ears. Then he just hefted his plasma torch for emphasis.

" _Loud._ " Tara nodded in agreement, then glanced over her shoulder. No, they wouldn't have enough time, even if they carried out both tasks simultaneously. But… if they found some way to muffle the torch, once they'd freed their friends she could just cut through the door, and they'd be off scott-free. Tara quickly shot her teammate some more gestures.

" _Quiet that need._ " Patrick didn't even need to sign back, and instead opted just to roll his eyes. She took that to mean:

" _Duh._ " Tara waved her hand in his face to grab his attention again, before quickly signing to him:

" _Attention. Idea._ " At first, Patrick didn't quite catch her meaning, until she angrily continued. " _Think_." Ah, he understood _that_. They needed a plan – an idea. And Patrick thought of something. No, it couldn't possibly… he slowly reached into his satchel and revealed a suppressor. It was an old design, one which worked by dispersing gasses – gasses such as the ones produced by a plasma torch. Tara regarded him with a sceptical gaze, flicking her eyes from the object in his hand, to his thoughtful face, then back to his hand again. Tara splayed her index finger, middle finger and thumb out, before closing them together like a little mouth. She repeated the action along with the slightest of shakes of her head.

" _No_." It wouldn't work – it couldn't. The flame wouldn't reach to the end of the suppressor, and it would probably just end up melting the metal…

Melting…

Metal…

Tara had an idea. Not bothering with remembering her sign language classes, she just pointed at Patrick, then the ground in a firm 'stay here'. She then pointed to their bound comrades and made a scissor motion, before making the sign for _think_. Then she was off, swiftly slithering her way across the room, until she found the site of Jacob's little fiasco. Xeno limbs were scattered everywhere, and Tara managed to find a piece of an arm small enough for her to lob onto her shoulder and carry back to the final door. She slipped her knife from her belt, thanking her lucky stars once again when she found it to still be there. She then proceeded to make a careful incision in the limb, and instantly thick, green acid began seeping out of the wound.

Tara rubbed the cut flesh against the door, smiling when only the barest of sizzling sounds reached her ears. She then repeated the process, slicing up the limb until it was mutilated beyond recognition, and a sizable hole had appeared in the door. She punched the air triumphantly and set the severed limb down on the floor, before shedding her armour and squeezing through the gap. She had to hold herself back from running to the console in joy, as it would make too much noise. Instead, she took a calming breath, walked over, and set to work.

A few button presses later, and she was pulling the activation lever down. She felt the mechanism click, then froze as a low hum filled the room. Xenomorphs began shifting uneasily in their sleep as the sound grew in pitch, steadily becoming an irritating whine. Then it shifted suddenly and became a piercing wail. A mechanical buzz echoed throughout the room, and that was the final straw for the slumbering aliens.

"ALL CORE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN PRIMED. INITIATING REACTIVATION SEQUENCE. PLEASE STAND BY AND EMPLOY APPROPRIATE SAFETY PROTOCOLS. THANK YOU."

Before the mechanical voice had even uttered its second syllable, Tara was hurtling out the door, screaming and waving her arms frantically.

"Cut them down! Cut them the fuck down! Let's get the hell outta here! NOW CORPORAL!" Patrick had dropped the torch in fright and was now fumbling to turn it on. Xenos were shaking off their sleep and screeching war cries at the intruders, spurring Patrick on. He made swift, panicked strikes at the bonds holding his friends to the wall, probably burning their armour and skin in a few places. They thumped to the floor, confused and groggy, but awake thanks to the cacophony the core was making. The queen let loose a terrifying screech that had Tara clutching her ears, fearing her ear drums would rupture.

But there was no time to stand around like a fool; Tara slung Jacob's arm over her shoulder and began sprinting towards the door. Patrick did the same for Private Douglas Jett, and they could immediately tell they weren't going to make it. They had cleared the core room, and were a short way into the corridor beyond, but the Xenomorphs were gaining ground.

Then a resounding _boom_ echoed throughout the halls, followed by hundreds of small _clang_ s which sounded above them. Security cameras jerked upright and zeroed in on the four marines, PA system crackling to life.

"Security access restored; the Xenos have been caged in. You did it! Drinks on me you incredible bastards!" Dutch laughed. Even as he said so, bright, white fluorescent lights flickered on one by one, travelling away from the core and burning the marines' eyes.

"Sir, we need to get these two back to the 'Indictor. They've got embryos."

"Shit. Hold tight; I'll call in a dropship. Piotra, Sitherland, make sure they get out of here safely. The rest of us will finish up here and search for any more survivors."

"Will do sir," Tara agreed, before adjusting her grip on Jacob and hobbling on towards the nearest landing pad. Patrick grunted as he moved to do the same, aching muscles protesting. He needed a drink, a long sleep, and a massage when he got back. Unbeknownst to him, Tara Piotra was thinking the exact same thing.


	3. Chapter 3: Error in Judgement

**A/N: More responding to reviews:  
In answer to Manchild42069: Thank you, that is very high praise; I hope I can live up to it with the rest of the story, though bear in mind it will be turning away from the tense, horror-ish and towards the friendship/romance/action/drama I specialise in.  
Accursed Atom writes: please telling me this is still going  
A: Calm my child, I update on a three-day-basis to allow me enough time to proofread and rework any scenes I don't feel satisfied with.**

The first thing Private Jacob Harlor was aware of was the fact he'd just been in cryo. He felt the woozy churning in his stomach which was a specialty side effect of the antifreeze serum. The second thing he was aware of was the excruciating, burning pain compressing his chest to the point where he gasped aloud and shot upright in the small infirmary cot. After panting and clutching his chest for a few moments, he slowly began to recall where he was and why he was there.

The embryo. He had been impregnated. He quickly glanced around himself, throat too dry to manage anything above a painful croak. The pain, he wouldn't last much longer before –

"Hey, hey, relax. Calm down, just lie back, yeah?" a male's voice soothed him. A gentle hand slowly pushed his shoulder until he was once again lying on his back upon the barely-comfortable mattress. Jacob's eyes finally focused enough to take in the sight of the man; kind, wrinkled blue eyes sparkled from behind a pair of wire frame glasses, a slim build being hugged loosely by a doctor's uniform. On his shirt's breast pocket was the Weyland-Yutani insignia. "It's out. We managed to remove it safely, which is more than can be said for your friend. You're one lucky man; the embryo was old enough not to panic and rip up your vital organs when we attempted to remove it, but young enough not to have burst out of your chest."

The doctor handed him a glass of water, which he gratefully downed in a few gulps. "Sorry," he apologised with a sympathetic smile, "we couldn't afford to give you any time to recover from your cryo-sleep. We had to set to work immediately."

"Thanks Doc. I guess feeling like I've been hit by a fucking truck is a small price to pay for my life, right?"

"Indeed," the man chuckled. "I'm, ah, sorry about your mission by the way. I… have a debrief if you want to read it?" Jacob shook his head.

"Just tell me who died." With a sage nod, the doctor retrieved his PDA and brought up the relevant document.

"Private Kenovin is in rehab for major injuries, Corporal Piotra is off the active roster for some minor stuff, and the rest, well, you can see here." The doctor flipped his PDA so Jacob's eyes could scan the screen.

 _Alpha Squad:  
[Active]Gunnery Sergeant Robert Dutch  
[Active]Specialist Marty Yabul  
[Active]Private Samantha Rhode  
[Inactive]Private, First Class Jacob Harlor_

 _Bravo Squad:  
[Inactive]Corporal Tara Piotra  
[Deceased]Private Douglas Jett  
[KIA]Private Eugene Whear  
[Inactive]Private Klaus Kenovin_

 _Charlie Squad:  
[Active]Lance Corporal Patrick Sitherland  
[KIA]Private Janet Fisher  
[MIA]Private Mark Edwards  
[KIA]Private Oscar Earl_

Jacob let out a whoosh of air. Those were some depressing figures. Only a third of their soldiers were well enough to stay on the active roster, and another third confirmed dead. As he passed the device back, Jacob noted that the date on it told him he'd been on ice for two weeks.

"Has the Corp got a handle on the situation?" he inquired. The doctor nodded the affirmative.

"Yeah, they culled off all the Xenos. The colony should be back up and running by now, thanks to you and your teams. We even managed to find some survivors locked away in an external building." Jacob nodded, before letting his head hit the pillow. That was good news; the marines hadn't sacrificed their lives in vain then. They had done their fellow humans a great service. It was also pleasant to hear that the Wey-Yu hadn't tried to keep the Xenos for study again. Culling them off was probably the smartest move in this situation, but Jacob couldn't help the feeling that nagged at his tired mind. This wasn't like Weyland-Yutani, to give up something like this so easily.

"Hey, I'm not complaining here, but why would Weyland kill the aliens off? Isn't the Corp trying to weaponise them or whatever?" Jacob asked.

"Oh yeah, they're still hard at work with all that. They didn't need all the specimens in the colony; they just presented a threat. Oh, the white-coats also have your most recent friend locked up here somewhere too."

"They kept the thing that came outta my chest?" Jacob demanded, attempting to push himself back up into a sitting position. The doctor eased him back down once more.

"It's secure, don't worry," he soothed. "You can probably go visit it if you like; it might be interesting. I'd talk to Tyler about that – he's one of the Xeno-keepers around here. Feeds them and all that." The doctor peered at his PDA for a few seconds after that, before speaking up once more. "But for now, you're staying in bed for at least thirty-six more hours, and you'll be in crutches for another twenty-four. The wound itself won't _fully_ heal for… at least half a month, probably more."

Jacob nodded. In the end he could only sigh and shuffle to get more comfortable. Whatever kind of painkiller the doc had put in the water made him quite drowsy. At least the weight on his chest was lifting.

~~~~~~~~~~(The next day…)~~~~~~~~~~

It was early lunchtime the next day when Jacob limped his way into the mess hall. He tucked his crutch into his armpit to allow himself to fish out his PDA and study the ID card he had pulled up. Mister Tyler Doelle, civilian scientist on the Weyland-Yutani space station 'Reveles'. Jacob scanned the sea of heads as hundreds of people bustled to get fed or find a seat with their friends. He was hit with a stroke of luck when he spotted the very man he was looking for pushing his way out of the crowd and heading towards the door by which he stood.

Suddenly, two marines stepped out in front of the young man, and said something which made him frown and shake his head. The marine on the left grew angry and gave Tyler a shove, causing him to drop the folders he'd been clutching to his chest as he flailed to regain his balance. Before Jacob could even think about intervening, and before the marines could get any more violent, a voice rang out above the hubbub of the crowd.

"Hey! Piss off or I'll have you sweeping out the Xeno cages!" The two marines quickly scampered off, making way for a middle-aged woman in an officer's uniform to kneel down beside the man who was on the floor, retrieving his dropped papers. She murmured something reassuring before standing and going back to her business. But not before throwing one final reaffirming look over her shoulder. Finally, Tyler managed to stumble his way back to the mess hall's door, papers in a state of shambled disarray, having been shoved back in their folder hastily and rather carelessly.

"You okay?" Jacob asked as the man tried to brush past him. Tyler looked startled for a second, before nodding.

"That's nothing special – it happens all the time. Jeica's not always there though…" Tyler let that hang for a moment, before startling as realisation struck him. "Oh! You're the guy from the new ship, right? Jacob was it?"

"'Sright," Jacob confirmed, "but you can call me Jake if ya like." Tyler stuck out his hand.

"Tyler," he introduced himself, before catching sight of Jake's PDA and seeing an image of his own face. "But I guess you already knew that."

"Yeah, I was told to go looking for you. You know, to meet the thing that did this to me?" Jake gestured to his chest, and although Tyler couldn't see the massive, red, raw, stitched-up flesh, the grimace on his face said it all.

"Sure, it would be interesting to see you two interact actually. I would've liked to meet mine too, but we weren't able to label and categorise the Xenos at the time, so I have no idea which it is."

"Wait, you're a Xeno survivor?" Jake asked incredulously. Tyler just nodded casually.

"Well, yeah. There was a massive breakout a few months back; heaps of people got impregnated. I among them." Tyler tugged the neck of his shirt down so that Jake could see the pink scar which split his chest. "You get used to the itching after a while. Oh, and the first few days are going to be hell. Other than that, we get about an eighty-percent survival rate. A quarter of deaths happen during the recovery stage, so take it easy ay?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Jake assured him as they walked. Tyler, obviously remembering life with the wound, was very kindly setting a slow pace for Jake to follow, even going so far as to glance over his shoulder at the injured soldier every so often to check if he was okay. Finally, they arrived at a heavy bulkhead door, and Tyler stopped to swipe his keycard past the sensor. It beeped green and the door hissed open, an enormous, heavy lock emitting a resounding _clang_ as it released.

Beyond the thick door was a dingy room which poised a stark contrast to the pristine, white-washed corridors of the station. It looked like an engine room; chrome-coloured steel beams, rivets and mazes of piping lined the steel-plated walls, and the small lights which hung from the ceiling on chains hardly provided sufficient lighting. A bank of controls stood to the left, along with a smaller metal door that led into a meat locker. To the right, a long hallway stretched out, the far side being interrupted by steel bars and strong doors.

Jake carefully approached the closest set of bars and peered into the darkness beyond. At first, he couldn't see anything in the murky blackness, but a sudden movement caught his eye. A patch of blackness was slowly snaking away from him, retreating to the far wall of the small cage. A tail. The creature was curling itself into a tight ball, much like a fetal position. As Jake's eyes adjusted, he could make out the body's slight vibrations. It was shivering. Jake couldn't help but frown. "Don't you think this is a bit… cruel?"

"Hah! Do I!" Tyler grunted as he hefted a wheelbarrow of meat. "These creatures are killing machines, but if you spend a bit of time with them, you start to notice things." Tyler pushed a sizable portion of meat through a designated slot towards the bottom of the bars. "They have personalities Jake. If they really are just animals, they're smart animals. Sociable. Trainable even. This guy here," Tyler gestured to the tail which was slowly snaking its way across the cage floor, "he's a shy one. He's always been scared of people, too. I've got theories about that – maybe he's young, and should be by his mother's side? And this one!"

Tyler stepped over to the next cage, plopping another chunk of meat through the bars. Jake barely caught the first Xeno's tail stabbing the meat and quickly reeling it away into the darkness before he followed along behind. "This one's a friendly one. He always comes and says hi to me. He even offers his head to be scratched but… aha… yeah; I'm not putting my hand in there. No offense buddy." The Xenomorph in question hissed as it rubbed its flanks against the bars like an attention-seeking cat, its head seeming to track Jake's movements suspiciously.

"Trainable," Jake repeated. "What? You think the Corp's crazy idea could actually work? We could tame these things for warfare?" Tyler just shrugged as he continued to slide mounds of meat through the bars.

"I submit reports every so often; observations and stuff. But mostly I'm trying to get these guys a more comfortable life. If they're nearly as intelligent as I think they are, they'll want playgrounds, puzzles, open spaces – stuff to do other than staring at a wall all day."

"I think you're working for the wrong corporation if you're looking for compassion," Jake remarked. Tyler gave him an odd, narrow-eyed look, before resuming his duties.

"Careful now. I just so happen to agree, but stick your head out too far and you'll get it taken off. The Corp can and will make people 'disappear' mysteriously. Oops, ol' Joe slipped into the Xeno pen. Oh dear, poor old Tom was crushed by a crane malfunction. You get the picture." Jake nodded.

"Weyland kills of its own workers?" Jake demanded, appalled. Tyler shrugged innocently.

"Can't prove it either way, all we can do is speculate."

"Well, clearly you're in the know. Why don't you just leave?"

"I have a debt to repay," Tyler answered cryptically. "Besides, if I leave, who's gonna make sure these guys are taken care of properly?" The young man stopped before the final occupied cage and gestured towards it with an open palm. "This one's yours."

Jake stepped past him and peered into the small prison beyond. Like most of his encounters thus far, he couldn't make anything out in the darkness. That is of course until the creature leapt at the bars, screeching at him shrilly. Jake fell back on his ass in fright, scrambling away slightly as the alien clung to the bars and just screeched at him.

"Hey!" Tyler snapped at it. "Back! Get back! Off the bars!" He fished a small device out of his pocket and brandished it to the creature, who just released yet another shrill screech, before resuming its assault on the bars, rattling them ineffectively. Tyler pressed the button, and the Xenomorph was doused in a generous helping of liquid nitrogen, forcing it back with a pained yelp. "I hate doing that," Tyler sighed, pocketing the device again guiltily. "But that's the first time I've ever seen one of them react that way. I think she recognised you."

"For better or worse?" Tyler just shrugged.

"I guess we won't be finding out anytime soon, unless you fancy going in there." Jake chuckled, but shook his head and politely declined the offer. "Maybe we should give her some time to settle in and try again?" Tyler suggested after a lengthy silence that involved nothing but staring into the cell shakily.

"Sounds good to me," Jake agreed as Tyler threw the meat into the Xeno's cage. They began walking back to the exit, but were suddenly interrupted by a furious screech. Tyler frowned and turned back to Jake's Xeno, chewing his lip as he studied her, pacing her cage, completely ignoring the meat as she plopped herself down into a sitting position before the bars. The alien then began purposefully waving her hands at them. "What… what is she doing?" Jake demanded, taking a step closer. Tyler just shrugged.

"They all do that to me for the first few days they spend here. I never could figure out why."

"Tyler, that's sign language!" Jake exclaimed, grimacing as he kneeled opposite the wildly gesturing Xenomorph. "Slow down, slow down," he pleaded as his eyes followed her large, bony black hands. It was the same word, over and over again. A closed fist, thumb sticking out the top slightly, resting in the palm of her other hand, bouncing from Jake's direction towards the creature's chest.

" _Help._ "

"Christ Tyler! It's signing! It's using sign language!" Tyler grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes alight with excitement.

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!" he babbled. "Talk to it! Talk to it!" Jake nodded and turned his attention back to the Xeno, whose hands were now still, allowing her to stare at them expectantly. Jacob cleared his throat nervously and brought up his hands. God, he hoped he remembered his classes properly. The USCM recommended taking basic sign language courses to all marines, in case of stealth missions or soldiers that had been deafened by weapons, and Jake wasn't exactly an overachiever, so the basics are all he'd done. With a shaky breath, he raised his eyebrows and laid one palm out flat, while making a chopping motion with his other, then pointed at the Xeno on the other side of the bars.

" _Alright you?_ " If he remembered correctly, that was the proper grammar for asking someone if they were alright, but he could never quite wrap his head around ASL grammar. The Xeno formed a fist and rocked it back, then forth, twice.

" _Yes_."

"Oh! I understood that one!" Tyler exclaimed. "It said yes, right? Jeica tried to teach me sign a while back but… I wasn't really much good."

"I wonder how much sign she knows?" Jake thought aloud as he stared at the alien. She shuffled slightly, then held two splayed, slightly-curled hands together and bounced them apart.

" _A lot._ "

"She-she understands English?" Tyler stammered worriedly.

" _Yes._ " Jake turned to see Tyler running his hands through his hair nervously, staring at the floor with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his face.

"Oh my God…" was all he could muster. Jake placed his hands on the bars and stared deep into where he imagined the creature's eyes would be.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked her.

" _Yes._ "

"Do you want to kill me?"

" _No._ "

"Are you going to try and kill everyone on this station?" The Xenomorph cocked her head for a second at this, as if weighing her options. Finally, she made her decision, and signed:

" _No._ "

"This is crazy!" Jake cried, throwing a glance back at Tyler for support. The young man looked excited now, hands clasped together in front of his chest as he watched the two of them interacting.

"Go on! Keep going!" Tyler urged ecstatically. He suddenly scampered off back to his control station, leaving Jake to face his Xenomorph once more and take a deep, shaky breath.

"Okay. We can figure this out. I don't know why you guys have been dead set on wiping out humanity, and I highly doubt I have the vocabulary to find out right now. Let's just concentrate on the simple stuff first, alright?"

" _Yes._ " A chorus of hisses suddenly filled the room, one after the other, as Tyler paced back towards them, a metal, torus-shaped object in his hand. He handed it to Jake, and upon further inspection, it turned out to be an advanced collar of some kind. It was thick, heavy duty, and packed with features.

"It's a shock collar," Tyler explained, "a failed experiment. Those things are massively secure; the press of a button will administer a shock capable of knocking the Xeno wearing it out cold. Attempting to remove the collar without authorisation will administer a shock. Damaging the collar will administer a shock. Attacking a human will administer a… you get the point. It never worked of course; you need more than fear of punishment to get these guys to cooperate. But, now we can run a few experiments to see if we can get these guys to work with us by talking to them! Of course, Director Lenex won't be happy with having these things running around the station without some method of control. Hence the collar."

Jake's Xeno had shrunk back as she listened, not liking the sound of such powerful wattage running through her body, nor such control being exerted over her actions. "This could be the key to finally ending our stupid war with these guys!" Tyler persisted. "And if Weyland-Yutani gains more profit having them free than imprisoned, there's no way they can keep them locked up like this! All we need is a prototype; proof that we can use these guys as weapons."

"Tyler!" Jake snapped. "These are intelligent creatures – dangerous ones. We can't just 'use' them. That's disgusting – and probably incredibly risky." Jake's Xeno gave a hiss of agreement, for the most part.

"Jacob, trust me on this one. Stuff like that doesn't sell. 'Oh big corrupt organisation, please release these intelligent creatures – it's inhumane to keep them here! By the way, killing all witnesses and using this information to your advantage whilst not changing the living conditions of the Xenomorphs would be a really mean thing to do, so please don't.' Yeah, not bloody likely. Think with your brain, not your heart Jacob. You're dealing with businessmen here, not humanitarians."

Jacob cast his eyes down to the collar in his hands, chewing his lip in thought.

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to pitch this to your boss as an opportunity to revolutionise warfare so that she can become some kind of prototype?"

"Yes," Tyler confirmed, not fully understanding where this was going.

"And in doing so, we'll be helping these creatures, and helping ourselves to understand them better?"

"Yup."

"Which will then lead to the Xenomorphs gaining a sentience status and the ability to coexist peacefully alongside humanity?"

"It's our best chance. We either give this a shot, or we sit on our hands and wait for the Corp to find some way to weaponise them as they are now; imprisoned, miserable. They've already gotten close a couple of times, but I'm not allowed to tell you the details. Classified and all that." Jake honestly couldn't care less about all that, as he was already doing his best impression of eye contact with his Xenomorph again.

Jake was honestly at a loss. To him, it seemed like mere days ago he was staring at these creatures from down the sights of his rifle. Now, he was being assaulted with new ideas and his mind was spinning with the overload. He was scared because Xenomorphs were dangerous creatures, and even more scared because they were intelligent too. But most of all, he was confused. He wanted to understand _why_ the Xenomorphs acted as they did, and _why_ the sudden change of heart. It didn't quite click with him, but he knew one thing for certain. The opportunity being presented to him now could quite possibly be his best shot at having all his questions answered.

Sure, it was dangerous, but the way Jake saw it, the Xenomorph had come out of his chest days ago; she was young, and impressionable. Maybe they could teach her to value other creatures' lives?

"Will you trust me on this?" he whispered, presenting the collar. She huffed and bowed her head, before pressing her body against the bars. Jake nervously threaded his hands through the thick poles of metal, ignoring Tyler's squeak of anxiety, and began fastening the device around her neck. With a finalising _click_ , the deed was done.

"I, uh… um, I err…" Tyler stammered, gripping a small remote in his hands. "Ahem. I erm, need to test it…" Tyler shrunk away from Jake's death glare. "I don't like doing this! But if this thing's just trying to trick us into letting it escape, that's on me. I need to make sure the innocent people here are safe." He grimaced and quickly tapped a button on the device, eliciting a squeak and jump of fright from the alien creature. "Okay, we're good." Tyler let out a relieved whoosh of breath, clicking another button on his small remote. The cage door popped open, swinging soundlessly on its hinges.

Tyler backed away into the other half of the room, where he plopped himself down at the control console and opened a channel to report in, leaving Jake to watch the sleek, black monster gently nose the door open wider. His breath hitched sharply as she prowled closer, stooping down so their faces were inches away from one another. Then she released a long, drawn-out purr of delight and rubbed her face against his cheek. Jake laughed as she nudged him forcefully, before poking him all over with inquisitive fingers. She withdrew quickly at the sharp hiss of pain that came when his chest was touched, prompting her to stand still for a second, before suddenly ripping his shirt open.

"Hey!" Jake protested. The Xeno hissed in disapproval, not liking the looks of the ugly, gnarly red scar. Jake threw a glance back at Tyler, who was peering at them worriedly.

"Give me a shout if she does something dangerous, yeah?" Jake could only nod. "Yeah, sorry, we're still not quite sure what to make of this, but it's definitely something you'll want to see…" Jake ignored him when he realised the man was back to talking over the comms, and instead focused on the Xenomorph who was apparently done with fawning over him. She plopped herself down on her haunches and cocked her head at him. Waiting. Jake slowly pushed himself back up into a sitting position and outstretched his hand slowly, still weary of the dangerous creature. His hand stopped an inch away from her face, so she closed the gap by gently nuzzling his open palm. She was encouraging him.

Jake took a shaky breath. She was trying to reassure him. He felt his gut churning in confusion and fear once more, because this had very quickly changed from intelligent animal to sentient person. And the way she kept jerking her head towards Tyler every now and again told of the distress her situation was giving her. Was she regretting this decision, or nervous of what was to come? Either way, her emotions were unnervingly human.

"Hey, uh, should I give you guys a minute?" Tyler asked nervously, suddenly only metres away from them. The Xeno gave a low hiss – not an aggressive one either. Jake noticed the man wringing his hands nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot in anticipation.

"No, it's fine," Jake replied finally. "We going somewhere?"

"Yeah, my boss wants to take a look at this. We're going to need to head over to his office, but you guys can, er, get to know each other a bit better first if you want."

"I think it might pay to get this out of the way first." After all, if the big bad boss refused to let them ever see each other again, bonding now would just be a waste of time and lead to unnecessary angst. Tyler nodded and opened the door, with only the slightest hesitation keeping his fingers from the button. He quickly stepped out first to ensure the corridor was relatively clear, before beckoning them over. The Xenomorph faltered as he was suddenly bathed in light, instinct telling her to run back into the darkness to hide, but she stood firmly at Jake's side, apprehensively drinking in the sights of the headache-inducing infinity of white. White walls, whit floor, white ceiling, white lights leading the way. Occasionally, the sea of white was broken by the inky blackness of space through thick windows, but other than that, it was just white white white. Tyler idly explained it was because this section held several Xenomorphs, and the whiteness allowed for them to easily spot any resin or residue from escaped Xenomorphs should such an event occur. The precaution reportedly saved many lives in the most recent outbreak, as it allowed them to track down where the facehuggers had gone, and thus who had been impregnated.

Once the Xenomorph had finally adjusted to her new surroundings, the group set off on a long, frustrating trip full of stops at the hands of armed men and several reassuring speeches from Tyler. Eventually, they made it to a set of thick, secure, ornately-painted doors. Tyler pressed the button and announced himself uncertainly.

"Uh, Tyler Doelle here to see Director Lenex?"

"He's been expecting you for the last twenty minutes. Come in," came a female's reply over the intercom. Tyler blushed slightly and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment as the doors soundlessly slid open, allowing the three of them to step into a lavish lobby. Everything was painted to look like polished marble, including the ornate pillars that definitely weren't there for structural support. Potted plants in fancy vases and large garden beds were dotted around the area which spanned about the same size as a town square. A fountain stood in the centre, the gentle gurgle of water mingling with soft violin music which drifted from a hidden speaker somewhere. The Xeno bent down to sniff a plant, only to startle when a small finch burst out from the bushes and squealed its way past them.

A flock of butterflies exploded into the air at the sudden commotion, filling the room with vibrant colours, attracting the guests' attention in the direction of a small secretary desk tucked into the corner. Jake felt the Xeno's tail tap against his leg, so he turned his gaze down to where she was padding along beside him on all fours. She quickly lifted her front claws off the ground and pointed to her skull, before making two 'C' shapes with her hands and bobbing them around herself while puffing up her chest. Jake burst out laughing at the sign, coaxing the Xeno into pulling her lips back into a deadly smile.

"What?" Tyler demanded, putting his hands on his hips. "What did she say?"

"She said this is all a bit pretentious."

"Tell me about it," the secretary groaned, flopping her feet onto her desk, barely avoiding kicking her bulky computer off the overly-lush piece of furniture. "I've buzzed him, so he should be out in a minute. He was real excited to hear about your pet." She nodded towards the Xenomorph, who hunched her shoulders and hissed threateningly. She stopped in her tracks when Jake put a comforting hand on her flanks.

"Easy," he whispered. "A lot of the people here believe you guys are just mindless killing machines. Hell, I do too, and after what you guys have done to my people, I'm really struggling with this whole 'intelligent' thing." The Xenomorph deflated visibly and pointed at herself, before curling her hand into a fist and rubbing it against her chest in two small circles.

" _I'm sorry_." Jake bit his lip guiltily. This creature had come out of his chest only days ago, why was he making her shoulder the blame for an entire species?

"Hey, you're okay. You've never hurt anyone, right? Well, aside from my chest that is." Jake tried an awkward chuckle, but the Xeno just bowed her head even more. _Dear God, at least she doesn't have eyes. The only thing that could make this any worse would be puppy-dog eyes,_ Jake thought to himself.

Finally, a door swished aside from a hidden location behind some draping ferns, and out stepped the man in charge of the _Reveles_ Station. His brown hair was sleeked back and glistening with expensive product, sparkling emerald eyes crinkling playfully behind a pair of circular, wire-framed glasses which he pushed up to his face. His perfect white teeth showed through his grin, matching the shirt over which hung an expensive black waistcoat. A black tie was fastened around his neck, going hand in hand with the black trousers and black suede shoes he wore.

Jake frowned at the sight of him; he had been expecting a much more menacing individual after all the rumours he'd heard about the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. This man actually captivated a charming, carefree appearance. He slipped his right hand out of his waistcoat pocket and presented it to Jake.

"Sorry I took so long, I was in a conference with my superiors. As you no doubt know, I'm Director Lenex. You must be Jacob – may I call you Jacob?"

"Jake's fine," the PFC replied, taking the director's hand and giving it a polite shake. The businessman's grip was firm, strong and friendly; confident. All the signs of a perfect leader.

"Excellent. While you were making your way here, my superiors and I had a discussion of what we could do with this discovery of yours – as soon as you show us what you're capable of, that is. Come on, I'm dying to see." Well, Jake couldn't say no to an attitude like that. He turned to his Xenomorph and crouched down to meet her bowed head face to face.

"Hey, we need to put on a show for this guy, you mind…?" She shook her head and hauled herself up to her full height. "What do you want to see?" Jake inquired of the station's director.

"I guess obedience would be a good place to start," Lenex suggested after tapping his chin in thought for a bit. Jake puffed out his chest, stood tall and mustered up his most commanding voice possible.

"Xenomorph, sit!" he barked. She looked confused for a second, before plopping her rump down on the floor, tail swishing slowly from side to side in agitation; she didn't understand the point of this. "Now roll over!" She glanced at the spines which protruded from her back, then cast a sour look back at him. "Okay, maybe not. Give us a lap of the room then? On the walls?" Jake scratched the back of his neck embarrassedly and threw a quick glance at Lenex, who was deep in thought.

The Xeno huffed in annoyance before pouncing onto the wall and sprinting along its surface, right the way around the room before leaping off it and skidding to a halt a metre away from Jake's feet. Once done, she plopped herself back down into a sitting position.

Lenex's face looked much like how Jake felt; exhilarated, terrified and in complete, breath-taken awe. This was the line between speculation and fact. The Xenomorph was listening to him, playing along, even if only for the time being. Jake's heart was hammering wildly in his chest, his mind almost unable to process the new discovery. This was really happening.

"Incredible. Did you teach it these commands?" the Director inquired.

"No, she understands English," Jake explained honestly. "Here, like this. Xenomorph, do you like your current living conditions?" The Xeno placed her hand into the air, her index finger, middle finger and thumb splayed out, before closing them together like a little mouth. "That means 'no'," Jake elaborated when Lenex just stared in awe.

"Xenomorph, do you understand me?" Lenex asked cautiously. She made the little nodding motion with her fist, and Lenex held a hand to Jake before he could speak. "I know, that means 'yes'. Xenomorph, would you work for us? In exchange for a higher status and better living conditions, of course."

The Xeno made the motion for 'yes', and before anyone could celebrate, she quickly crossed her two index fingers and waved them apart.

" _Yes. But!_ " She had a condition. She made loose cup shapes with her hands, brought them towards her, then pointed at Jake. " _Want him._ "

"What is she saying?" Lenex demanded desperately.

"She said she wants to own me…?" The Xeno frantically made the 'no' sign, then made two fists and clapped them together, finishing it off by pointing it at Jake.

" _With you_."

"You want to be _with_ me?" The Xeno grinned and nodded her fist 'yes'. Jake turned to gauge Lenex's reaction, and grimaced when the man ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Well, I guess this makes my job easier. It seems your friend wants to stay with you. What you two need to understand however, is that you are soldiers. Not only that, but my superiors want you to be an _elite_ division of soldiers, which means intensive training, and you _will_ be sent on frequent combat drops as well as many, many simulations. And you're going to have to get used to working alongside an alien, Jake."

"I can take it, sir," Jake assured him, albeit shakily. "How about you?" he asked the Xeno beside him. She rose up to her full height, stretched her sleek, strong body, then lazily signed:

" _Yes._ "

"Good. PFC Jacob Harlor, Lieutenant Colonel Smith will be promoting you to Corporal for the duration of your training. Succeed in impressing her, and you'll be a Sergeant before your next combat drop. She will be in charge of your military training, which will start as soon as you're physically fit. Go, she is waiting for you outside." Jake saluted and quickly strode to the door.

Now alone with Tyler, Lenex turned to the young scientist and offered an encouraging smile. "Tyler, this new development provides an excellent opportunity to study a passive Xenomorph, so naturally I'm going to have scientists fawning all over her. I know you and how well you work with these creatures, so I'm entrusting you with the task of keeping my men in check. You'll be in charge of the civilian division of this project, and there will be a team of six scientists under your command. I can count on you to keep our assets safe and comfortable, can I not?"

"Of course sir!" Tyler squeaked, offering a sloppy salute. "I won't let you down!"

"I don't doubt it. I'll update your security privileges, and I expect you to have more comfortable accommodations in place for our assets before tonight."

"Y-yes sir! Right away!" Tyler quickly scampered away, tugging out his PDA as he went, desperate to impress his boss. Lenex chuckled and retreated into his office, pouring himself a cup of whisky from a crystal decanter before plopping himself down, mulling over recent events. Given some time, this could turn out to be very profitable indeed.


	4. Chapter 4: Project Advena

**A/N: More responding to reviews. Is it just me, or would it be so much easier if you could just reply to reviews directly, like in a Youtube comment section?  
Kellise says: "Don't try to do it too fast, you've got a mystery there."  
A: This is actually something I was going to mention; my atrocious pacing. This is definitely something I need to work on, as most of my stories go very fast, because I'm not too good at filling in the spaces between plot points. As a result, my stories either charge through the plot like a steam train, or jump around with too many time skips for my liking. I'm practising, and it's getting better, but it's still far from perfect.  
Also, I'm sorry that I'm not responding to everyone's reviews, I just don't want to put massive walls of A/Ns at the beginning of every chapter. Believe me, I read them all and I really appreciate everything you guys have to say!**

Jake turned the small piece of laminated plastic over in his hands, studying the neatly-printed black lettering which spelled out his name and room number. Tyler had reportedly spent a couple of hours trying to find and prepare this room for them, which Jake was very grateful for, especially when he saw the interior.

The place was like a lavish apartment. Stepping through the main door led him into a comfortable lounge, which was big enough to fit a flat screen TV and a green sofa big enough to comfortably seat three people, or one person and a Xenomorph. A small wooden coffee table sat off to the side, adorned with a simple white vase which held two generic flowers. The wallpaper of the room was a nice, pale cream colour – plain, but pleasant. Three more doors split off from the main room.

The first led to a small kitchen, which held miniature cooking stations and a small table to eat at. It also featured a fridge and pantry. The whole thing seemed a bit unnecessary to Jake, who could just rock up to the mess hall at any time to get a meal, but it was nice to have anyway. Next was a small bathroom, complete with a glass shower cubicle, mirror, medicinal cabinet, sink and toilet. This was the only room which differed from the rest of the place in terms of wallpaper; instead, it was lined with pristine white ceramic tiles. The final door led to a modest bedroom, boasting a double bed, a single bed, a set of drawers, coat rack and desk, complete with a reading lamp. The beds were neatly made with fluffy blankets and luxury pillows, which had Jake flopping on his back and sighing in content.

"Damn, that kid outdid himself," Jake remarked, eyes shut in pleasure. He could almost fall asleep right where he lay… Then he felt a nudge at his leg, and with a groan, his eyes fluttered open. His Xeno sat at the foot of his bed, head cocked at him questioningly. "Oh, right, this is probably yours," he realised, sliding off the enormous double bed. "Make yourself comfortable; I'll be back soon." Despite his advice, she followed him right to the door of the bathroom, where she was promptly locked out. Deciding against breaking the flimsy wooden door down, she simply enjoyed the pitter-patter sound of running water for a few minutes.

Eventually, boredom overtook her and she stalked back into the bedroom, making a disapproving clicking noise as she surveyed the area. This was a human nesting room alright, but it was hardly homey. And the security was very lax! She tapped her tail against the walls experimentally, patrolling the perimeter as she went. Hmm… at least the structure seemed secure enough. The atmosphere didn't feel right though. It wasn't nearly humid enough, and sleeping would be tough without some sort of heat source. Although… the big soft things humans called 'blankets' were thick enough to capture heat. If humans could use them to regulate temperature, perhaps she could too.

Opting to make do with what she had instead of attempting to lodge a complaint with her limited signs, she pounced onto the bed and began fussing over the sheets. By the time Jake wandered back in, pulling on a clean, black shirt as he did so, she had created a little dip in the bed by removing pieces of the mattress, before covering it with a sheet and walling the place up with the thick blankets. It looked much like a bird's nest. Jake grimaced when he caught sight of the sponge-like material which lined the mattresses' insides; there was a sizable pile of the stuff lying in a torn heap on the floor. He then sighed as his eyes fell upon his own bed, which had been stripped bare of all its sheets and blankets.

"Well, where do you expect me to sleep?" Jake asked of the Xenomorph grumpily. She was purring contentedly, curled into a little ball against the curved wall of her nest, the dip creating a comfortable angle for her body and allowing her ungainly spines to hang over the side.

" _You, here,_ " she signed, jabbing her finger at the empty space in the nest next to her.

"Excuse me?" Jake guffawed incredulously. The Xenomorph simply repeated her actions, prompting Jake to peek over the side of the nest. There was a patch of empty nest, destined to be filled by the form of one who had about his build, though he would be pressed tightly against the alien. "No. Definitely not."

" _You, here._ "

"No," Jake growled. "That's not something humans do with strangers, let alone aliens who may or may not want to wipe humanity from existence. Wait here, I'm going to go get some more blankets." Jake turned to leave, but could only let out an 'eep' of surprise when a bony, blade-tipped tail coiled around his waist and tugged him onto the bed. His legs were swept out from underneath him, and before he could so much as blink, deft hands caught him and tugged him into the little nest, where the Xenomorph's imposing, warm body was pressed against his back. Jake attempted to wriggle away, but the alien's grip was strong, and he was forced to admit defeat. At first, he was terrified, but slowly his heart returned to it's normal pace when the Xeno draped her arm across his chest, hugging him to her gently, but firmly. It wasn't a huge improvement, but having an alien spooning you was certainly better than having an alien drag you into their nest to feast on your bones. He wasn't confident enough to challenge her firmly just yet however; he was still too apprehensive of her deadly capabilities. "You'd better know enough sign language to explain all this," Jake snapped moodily. He stifled a yawn and placed his hands on her arm, humming at the pleasant warmth which radiated from her body, contrary to how cold and slimy her kind usually looked. "In the morning… for now, I think a little sleep is in order…"

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Morning…)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake yawned and stretched, surprised to find he'd slept soundly. He'd expected to have nightmares again, like he always did in the weeks following the loss of squad mates. Instead, he found he'd just had his best sleep in years, which meant he'd either become a sociopath, or the stirring Xenomorph beside him had something to do with it. She'd certainly gone out of her way not to hurt him, sheathing her claws and keeping her bladed tail well out of range – maybe she just didn't want to let him out of her sight because she didn't want him to ditch her. Either way, he supposed it was a nice change, to have a big strong alien watching over him as he slept. A guardian angel. An angel of death, at that. He gingerly hauled himself out of the petite nest, this time meeting no resistance from the limp arm which had still been resting across his torso.

"I don't understand you," Jake announced bluntly as he placed his hands on his hips and stared at the creature. "You act attached to me, and yet we've only known each other for a day. Is it because I'm your Host, or is it just out of gratitude?" _More importantly, why do_ I _feel so comfortable around_ her _?_ He added in his head. Newborn or not, this was still a Xenomorph; a killing machine designed to slaughter people like himself. When the Xeno just stared blankly at him, still tucked neatly into her nest, he sighed and loosened his posture in surrender. "Do you have a name?" he asked finally. The Xeno cocked her head for a moment, before signing 'no'. She added onto the end:

" _You think_."

"You want _me_ to name you?" Jake repeated uncertainly.

" _Yes._ "

"Well, o-okay then. I'll try to think of one as we go along. For now, we should find Tyler, or Lieutenant Colonel Smith." The previous day had revealed Lt. Colonel Smith to be none other than the stern, peevish woman who had confronted the aggressive marines when Jake had first met Tyler. She seemed very disappointed in Lenex's choice of candidate, and did very little to hide that fact from Jake. She also appeared to be easily irritable, and looked rather tired. She probably had a heavy workload, which would about justify her snappy attitude.

Ignoring the kitchen for now, Jacob headed for the mess hall in search of a meal, and perhaps he would find one of his to-be companions there too. His Xeno trailed along behind him placidly, holding herself on all fours and sniffing the air occasionally – almost like a puppy – as they navigated the pristine, orderly station. The duo did their best to shut out the fearful, curious and hateful glares they received from the occupants of the large eating area, focusing instead on striding over to the canteen to retrieve their breakfast. The staff manning the service window wordlessly fetched a large, raw lamb roast from the back for the Xeno, leaving Jake to pick out some cereal from the self-serve stations. From there, he scanned the crowd to see if he could spot a familiar face, and after failing that, he simply led his companion to the farthest, most isolated table he could find, where they would eat their meals in silence.

"Sleep well Corporal?" a familiar voice demanded sarcastically.

"Yes ma'am," Jake sighed, "she literally dragged me into her nest with her. Was surprisingly comfy." Jake was pleasantly surprised when Lt. Colonel Smith smirked and snickered in amusement. The Xeno grinned at her with a mouthful of sharp, bloody teeth, causing her face to drop back into a deep frown.

"Please clean your damned teeth before doing that to me ever again," Smith snorted. "You creepy-ass bug." She fished a small device out of her pocket and presented it to Jake. "It's a zapper, so you can keep your bug in check. You wear it around your wrist, like a watch."

"You're leaving me in charge of her security?" Jake asked incredulously.

"Hardly," Smith scoffed. "We thought that seeing as how she never seems to leave your side, you should have one too. Ty – Mister Doelle has one, so does Director Lenex and so do I. You and I can only zap it though; we can't remove the collar or track it." She raised an eyebrow at Jake's still half-full bowl before returning her attention to him. "When you're done with your brunch, meet us in Sector Charlie-Seventeen."

"Aye-aye ma'am." With that, Lt. Colonel Smith hauled herself off the metal bench seat and weaved her way out of the crowded room. Wait, brunch? It was then that Jake noticed the inhabitants of the room were all non-military personnel, and he had overslept by a couple of hours. He quickly scorned himself and wolfed down the rest of his meal, before jogging to catch up with Smith.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay Tyler, but training picks up full swing tomorrow. And God help him if he sleeps in again…"

"Thanks Jeica; this'll be worth it, I promise."

Jake rounded the corner, surprised the two occupants of the room hadn't heard the entry door swish open – their conversation only ceased when he stepped into the control room with them. The small area was dominated by an enormous window which spanned the entire front wall, overlooking a small, versatile training arena. Control banks rested just below the window, blinking lights and constantly-shifting display screens almost giving him a headache. A heavy bulkhead door stood off to the left, obviously leading into the arena beyond, and in the centre of the room stood Tyler Doelle and Lt. Colonel Smith.

"Uh, hi," Jake greeted them awkwardly when they failed to do anything other than stare at him expressionlessly for a few seconds. Tyler shot Smith a look, which she returned with equal vigour, until she finally sighed and gave in.

"Corporal Harlor," she returned gruffly, "follow me into the arena please." Tyler settled down at one of the wheely chairs which sat at the centre of the control banks, deftly poking the button which would cause the heavy door to hiss open slowly. Smith led Jake into the empty, steel-plated room beyond and shrugged off the duffle bag she had been carrying. After unzipping it, she hauled out a Pulse Rifle and presented it to Jake, who cautiously plucked it from her hands. She then fetched an identical weapon and held it out for the Xenomorph. She cocked her head at the motion, but otherwise didn't move a muscle. "Take it," Smith insisted. Hesitantly, the Xeno reached out and awkwardly wrapped her fingers around the weapon's stock, before pulling it towards herself and cradling it in both hands. "We're doing basic firearms training today," Smith informed them. "However, Mister Doelle decided it would be a good idea to let you take the reins on this one, Harlor. It'll give you two some time to bond or whatever, and I'll be able to see if you're a useless greenhorn or a seasoned soldier."

A crackling sigh hissed through the room's intercom.

"Lieutenant Colonel Smith will step in and take over if we feel progress is unsatisfactory. Otherwise, just teach her the ropes Jake, and we'll observe from here," elaborated Tyler. Jake gave him a grateful nod and hefted the weapon in his hands. He barely noticed Smith leaving the room as he was occupied with giving his Xenomorph a sideways glance. She was still holding the gun awkwardly by the barrel and the stock.

"Here," Jake murmured, lowering his own weapon in order to assist his alien companion. He hesitated nervously for a moment, before gently adjusting her hands until she was holding her Pulse Rifle properly by the handle and grip. She seemed accepting of the treatment, prompting Jake to release the breath he had been holding. His heart fluttered as he gazed upon the deadly alien holding a rifle, already imagining the carnage she could create with her natural deadliness _and_ military training. Suddenly, this didn't seem like such a good idea, but he had superiors to please.

So he continued. "A quick run-down: This is the safety. When it's down like this, it's on. If you flick it up, it'll turn off. The gun can only fire when the safety is off, so remember to flick it on when you're not using it." Jake gave her a demonstration, helping her find the tiny switch and flick it a couple of times. "Good. This is the trigger. When you compress it like this, the gun fires. Those numbers on the side are your ammo count. When it hits zero, you have to reload, but I'll get into that later. For now, let's just work on your firing."

On cue, Tyler typed something onto a keyboard, causing a wall panel to slide aside, making way for a mechanical arm which deposited a large block with targets fixed to the front face. A small panel opposite hissed aside, revealing a marked hallway which went up at ten metre intervals. A firing range. "Let's try you on ten metres first. Just turn the safety off, point that end at the targets, and pull the trigger."

The Xeno hissed and did as she was told, levelling the weapon awkwardly and pointing it in the general direction of the targets. Immediately, Jake could see her aim was off; she was very clearly going to miss. She finally managed to wrap a long finger around the trigger and squeeze, shrieking in fright at the loud scream of gunfire which blasted her ears. She hastily threw the gun down and leapt onto the roof, surveying the area for threats.

"Okay, you completely missed everything, but hey, you fired it. And now you know what it's like, we can move on to aiming, yes?" The Xeno glanced down at the fallen weapon, the fact that _she_ had been the one whom had caused the noise and gunfire finally dawning on her. Gingerly, she retrieved it from the floor and turned it over in her hands, before adjusting her grip and holding it as Jake had taught her. _Quick learner_ , Jake observed. He swept up behind her and began fussing over her posture, instructing her as he pushed the weapon up to her face. Oddly enough, he was starting to feel a little more comfortable with the whole ordeal; the Xeno seemed just as nervous as he was, so maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad?

Awkwardly, he stopped and stepped away. "Uh… where do you see out of? It's usually most effective when you level the sights with your eyes…" The Xeno tapped the area of her face at the front of her head's protective shell and just above her mouth, similar to where a human's eyes would be. Jake studied the area for a few seconds, unable to find anything resembling eyes. Maybe they were hiding beneath the shell of her domed head, but he had no idea how that would work. Regardless, it was Tyler's job to figure that out. A quiet grating sound signalled that the arena door had been opened, and sure enough, Tyler quickly rushed in with a scientist in tow.

"Uh, hang on," Tyler implored, "where did you say you see out of again?" She tapped the area again, and Tyler whispered a few harsh words to the scientist, who took a variety of photos from all kinds of angles and distances and jotted down some notes on a clipboard. Tyler flashed them the thumbs up before he and his white-coat companion retreated back into the control room.

"Right. Anyway… can you see those two little prongs coming out of the little ring?" The Xeno gave the barest of nods, not wishing to disturb the pose which Jake had oh-so-carefully coaxed her into. "And you see that prong on the front? When it's in the middle of the two near your eye, you know you're holding your gun straight. Now try moving so the front prong is over where you want to shoot."

The Xenomorph did so, shuffling stiffly to try and preserve her posture as much as possible, before locking up and huffing out a nervous breath. Jake chuckled. "And, you know, shoot. That's an important part of this process." The Xeno shot him a distressed look, hissing in disapproval at his shrug of indifference. Tough love it would seem. She shuffled slightly and moved her head back to the gun's sights, before releasing a short burst of gunfire. Jake raised an eyebrow. "Hey, that's pretty good. You actually hit the target." She hadn't gotten a bull's-eye, but she had riddled one of the outer rings with seven bullet holes. "Try it again, see if you can hit the centre dot."

The Xeno did what was asked of her, earning a nod of approval as she slid into the appropriate stance and fired again. This time, she hit the bull's-eye three times, and the innermost ring twice. "Yeah! Nice going! You've aced the ten-metre line. Now let's try a bigger distance, yeah?" Jake couldn't help but laugh at the look of utter horror that wiped away the Xeno's self-satisfied grin. Clearly she hadn't expected there to be more.

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Day…)~~~~~~~~~~

Jacob groaned at the insistent beeping which hammered into his skull. His arm flopped out and began searching the area for his alarm clock, before bolting upright when he couldn't even locate his bedside table, nor the blankets that should have been covering his body. His sudden movement jostled the body next to him, causing her to raise her head warily, already awake due to the irritating machine that needed to die immediately. She smacked the device across the room with her tail, causing it to shatter against the opposite wall.

"Hey! I only just got that yesterday!" Jake protested, before stopping suddenly and turning to face the alien. "Damn it Xenomorph, did you move me into your nest while I was sleeping?" She merely made a stuttering hissing sound, which Jake was unimpressed with when he discovered he was being snickered at. "Oh yeah, real clever. I don't know what your deal is, but I'd appreciate it if you would stop." She tapped his shoulder with her tail to gain his attention, before pointing to her nest and signing:

" _Safe._ " Jake sighed as understanding dawned upon him. She must feel confused and lost in this strange world of humans which she had introduced herself to, and she was desperately trying to apply her own customs to her situation.

"It's okay; we're safe in here. Nobody can get in without my keycard, see?" Jake flashed her the small piece of plastic, feeling a bit guilty about neglecting to mention certain administrative privileges and protocols which could unlock any door, including his. "Now come on, we don't want to be late again do we?" Jake didn't wait for an answer, and instead exited his room and headed for the mess hall, knowing the Xeno would be following along silently behind him, padding along on all fours as usual. She was a very passive creature, almost intimidated by everything around her. Jake was touched that she stuck so close to his side, as it meant she probably felt safe around him. And that fact alone did worlds of good for the wrenching feeling of unease that had been plaguing his gut since he signed up for this project. It meant as long as he treated her right, she wouldn't be a danger to others. She was a strange creature indeed. A stranger. She still didn't have a name either.

Jake grabbed them a tray of food each again, surprised when the Xenomorph bet him to picking up her own tray. Jake shrugged and searched the crowd for an out-of-the-way table to sit at, finding only one that fit the bill. In fact, it was occupied by Tyler too, food off to one side as he busily tapped away at a PDA on the table before him. The duo took a seat across from him, startling him when their trays hit the tabletop.

"Oh, hello you two," Tyler greeted them, before returning to his work. Jake couldn't help but notice his cutlery was clean, and his scrambled eggs lacked the steam which should have been wafting off it.

"How long have you been here?" Jake inquired, shovelling a forkful of food into his mouth as he awaited the reply.

"Since five. I've got some paperwork regarding our little project. I've decided to name it 'Project Advena', so that's your designation from now on, okay?"

"Advena?" Jake echoed after swallowing his mouthful.

"Yeah. It's Latin. That's kinda my thing; it's just such an exotic language, don't you think?"

"Advena… that's got a nice ring to it. What does it mean?"

"'The Stranger'. More in the sense that she's so new and unique – strange if you will – rather than because she is an unfamiliar person."

"Advena…" Jake murmured again, running a hand over the Xenomorph's smooth carapace. "It suits her, don't you think?"

"Hey, it's not my alien. But between you and me, I would _totally_ give my Xenomorph a Latin name. I wonder if they're even still alive…" Jake blinked in confusion when a flicker of anger crossed Tyler's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, causing him to wonder if it had just been his imagination. "Look, I hope you don't mind, but I've got a lot of work to get done before we begin today's session, so would you mind…?"

"No, no, of course not. Advena and I will leave you in peace." Jake grinned as he tried out the name, finding it felt very… right. And she seemed to like it, if the way she crooned and leant into his touches was anything to go by. The rest of the meal was sat in silence, until the three of them were called upon by Lt. Colonel Smith to get moving.

~~~~~~~~~~(Later…)~~~~~~~~~~

One successful training session later, Jake was making to leave the small control room when he was suddenly and forcefully stopped by Tyler, who pushed him up against the wall in an arbitrary section of the outlying corridor. He glanced around himself frantically, before gazing deep into Jake's eyes, ignoring the threatening pose Advena held.

"Jacob, listen to me carefully. You have _no_ _idea_ what the hell is going on here. You can't possibly. But trust me on this one – _trust me_ – you don't know these people. They are not good people. The Weyland-Yutani Corporation, don't trust them. Don't trust anyone. And keep secrets for the love of God! Everything you can safely keep from them, keep it to yourself. Keep secrets from Lenex, keep secrets from Jeica, and keep secrets from me. And whatever you do, don't thank me later. The Corp can never know we had this conversation."

Then Jake was released, and Tyler was gone, having fled out the door. That was some 'conversation'. Jake tried not to let it get to him however, as Advena was eagerly tugging on his shirt, trying to get him to move. Right, they had some free time on their hands, and they both desperately wanted to explore the station which was to be their home now. They knew where the mess hall was, so from there they poked around, discovering all sorts of mundane and interesting places. One that particularly caught their attention was a less secure version of their testing arena, which featured a large container of water instead of a shooting range. A pool.

Finally, they agreed to call it a day after one more room, which turned out to be an enormous gymnasium with an impractically high ceiling, every piece of exercise equipment imaginable and running tracks circling the entire thing. Jake let out a low whistle. He could see several smaller, more private rooms off to the sides as well, a few of which were occupied by sweaty soldiers looking to get that little bit beefier. Jake was surprised to see Advena practically vibrating with excitement, her head snapping around to lock her gaze onto various parts of the room.

"What?" Jake chuckled. "You wanna go for a run?" Advena's head jerked back towards him and nodded frantically. "Well, go for it girl. I'll wait for you here." Advena let loose a screech of joy, turning a few heads, then sprinted across the floor, launching herself at the wall once she'd reached the end of the room. From there, she made dizzying circles on every surface in her path, leaping, rolling, even swinging from her tail at times. Jake gave up on trying to follow her movements with his eyes and instead found a nice bench seat to rest on. After all that wandering around, his chest was killing him.

He didn't know how long he'd closed his eyes for, he merely knew that he cracked one open again when he heard someone flop down heavily onto the space next to him. Jake studied the unusual figure; he was huge – tall with broad shoulders, tree trunk of a torso and powerful limbs which a professional athlete would be jealous of. What really caught Jake's attention however, was the neon green eyes and jagged, razor-sharp teeth which filled his wide grin. He ran a casual hand through his buzz-cut black hair and eyeballed Jake lazily.

"You must be Corporal Harlor I presume?" the man grumbled in a deep baritone. Jake nodded.

"You have me at a loss, Sir." Jake was glad he'd caught the small emblem on the black jacket's shoulder. It wasn't standard military uniform – this guy was probably special ops – but he was undoubtedly a General.

"General Mark Glover. Pleasure to finally meet you; I've heard much about you." Jake took the offered hand in his own and winced at the man's crushing grip as they shook.

"Already Sir?" Jake asked sceptically. Even if news did travel fast, there wasn't much _to_ hear about him. He was a mere First Class who got promoted to a Corporal with a Xenomorph at his side. That's about all there was to the story.

"Okay, you got me there," Glover chuckled, "I've heard a lot about your alien friend. The one who speaks sign language and can fire a gun?" Yeah, that made more sense to Jake. "Quite the success thus far, wouldn't you say?"

"Well, more successful than previous experiments, but I think it's a bit early to be calling this a success in itself, Sir."

"Too right my friend!" Glover agreed heartily. By now, Advena had noticed the interaction, and was just padding within their sight with a curious tilt to her head. "The Director is very impressed though. He's shut down all other projects in order to focus on this one. You're his favourite person in the galaxy right about now." Jake's polite smile faltered when he detected a hint of malice behind the man's cheery façade. If the eyes and teeth weren't a dead giveaway, that was a big red flag saying something was wrong here.

Despite his best efforts to keep his distress hidden, Advena seemed to pick up on it and hunched down with a low hiss. "Look at it," Glover growled. "Disgusting, mindless animal. Lenex is a fool if he thinks you can tame it. I hope for your sake you don't share his visions." His eyes were practically glowing with seething rage, and Jake felt himself shrinking back a little in fear. Glover turned on him, an ugly snarl twisting his scarred face. Before the situation could escalate however, a stern voice rang out through the gym.

"Glover! There you are. The Director has been paging you for the past hour. What the hell are you doing?" It was Lieutenant Colonel Smith. Glover's face quickly shifted back into his beaming smile, and he stood, spreading his arms wide innocently.

"Talking! Merely talking to my new friend here!" he proclaimed, giving Jake a stinging slap on the back for emphasis.

"That's enough Glover. Go on, he's expecting you." Smith jerked her thumb back in the direction of the door, glaring at him until he disappeared into the corridors beyond. Jake sighed in relief and Advena chirped her thanks to the seasoned veteran as she flopped onto the bench seat where Glover had been mere seconds ago. "Ugh, sorry about him. He's… not quite right anymore. He used to be such a nice guy, really. But there was an… accident. Weyland kept him alive with one of their experimental Xenomorph-based fiascos. Now he's just a shadow of who he used to be…"

"And they let him stay a General?" Jake inquired with a deep concern for the military's wellbeing. Smith smiled sadly.

"Well, he doesn't exactly have any real power. Lenex has him on a leash, but he's good for laying down the law. If Lenex wants something done, no questions asked, he sends Glover out to issue the order. Nobody in their right mind would dare challenge his authority; he's a killing machine." Jake nodded sagely, absent-mindedly stroking Advena's smooth dome head as he mulled over that. "So, what are you doing here anyway? I thought Tyler said to take it easy until your chest is healed up."

"We were just having a look around, and Advena wanted to go for a run," Jake admitted, earning a quiet hiss of agreement from the Xenomorph in question.

"Advena?" Smith questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh! That's her name; the Xenomorph's. Tyler and I decided on it this morning. I think it suits her well."

"It's Latin, isn't it?" Smith groaned.

"Yeah. How could you tell?"

"That man loves to name everything in Latin. Really cheesy stuff too. Did you know he named this station?"

"What, really?"

"Yeah. All the way back when Lenex first bought this place from its previous owner, he needed a good name for it, and Tyler suggested 'Reveles'. He didn't expect anybody to hear him, let alone listen, but here we are, sitting in a space station named 'Discover' in Latin."

"How long ago was this? That kid looks barely twenty."

"Three years. And you're pretty spot on about his age. He was nineteen when we rescued him, which makes him about… twenty-two now."

"Rescued?" Jake repeated. "What do you mean?"

"It's the whole reason he's here. We were passing by in our ship, heading for this station, and on the way we found an insurrectionist base. Well, we couldn't help but crush it and rescue the hostages, one of which was Tyler. He stuck with us after that, refused to leave until he 'repaid his debt to us'. He agreed on two years of service, but ever since he became involved with the whole Xeno thing, he hasn't shown any intention of leaving." They sat in silence after this, Jake surprised to hear all that. The kid was sticking with it and despite all the ' _don't trust anyone'_ business he was here by choice.

"You two must be close," Jake concluded. Smith shrugged the contrary.

"Not really. We're friends, definitely, but he keeps to himself most of the time. I don't think anyone is close to him, really. The only reason I know so much about his past is because I was part of the team who rescued him." Her eyes took on a distant look for the briefest of moments, before she brushed off her cap methodically and placed it on her head. "Anyway, I really gotta get going Corporal. I'll see you tomorrow, seven sharp."

"Yes ma'am," Jake confirmed with a casual salute. Advena huffed sourly in the direction of Smith's receding back, causing Jake to chuckle at her reaction. "What? Someone getting jealous?" To answer his question, she hopped up onto the bench and placed her head in his lap like a little puppy. Jake laughed and stroked her head gently, eliciting a pleased purr which rumbled deep in her chest. "You're such a big softie," Jake teased, earning himself a reprimanding slap on the back via her tail. "Come on, we should probably head back to our room; I'm all adventured out."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

 _The wind whistled quietly, softly rustling Jake's hair. Calming music drifted on the breeze from somewhere distant, yet strangely close. It was a familiar one too; 'Come Softly to Me' if he recalled. An oldie that his parents had listened to, before they had... No, this place was too peaceful for such thoughts. Instead, he concentrated on the feeling of his bare feet being tickled by springy grass beneath him as he trekked up the small hill. He couldn't see the sky, nor anything in the distance. All there was to be seen was the small hill and wavy grass, the rest gave way to pure white. He crested the small mound, watching the wind change and gently push the grass blades the other way, rocking to and fro. It was serene here; tranquil._

 _The hill turned out to be a crag overlooking a peaceful ocean, waves of deep blue and bubbly white. Then his attention was captured by the lone figure perched at the very edge of the cliff, sitting with her legs crossed in the dreamy grass, pitch black skin, sharp claws and protruding spines not making her any less appealing in the slightest. Jake took a step forward, watching her tail curl up closer to her as she noticed his approach. She didn't turn her gaze away from the ocean however, and instead let him sit down next to her in silence. He gazed into the waters for a long while, though he couldn't even begin to guess how much time had passed before Advena slowly turned to face him._

 _"_ _Do you like it?" she asked hesitantly. Her voice was silky smooth, feminine and soothing. And yet, her lips didn't even twitch. Deep down inside, Jake could_ feel _it was Advena speaking, even if there was no tangible evidence to support this. Jake turned his gaze back to the ocean, already knowing his answer, but not feeling in a rush to speak it._

 _"_ _It's beautiful," he uttered finally. Advena's lips curled into a smile, and she too returned her gaze to the ocean below._

 _"_ _Thank you… I wasn't sure about the ocean. I've never seen an ocean before, except in the hazy memories of my ancestors."_

 _"_ _You created this?" Jake asked. It all seemed so real… how could this grass be artificial? The sea a mere pool? It didn't make sense._

 _"_ _Yes. This is a dream. I have created all this because it is my dream, but it is one we share. If you wished, you could add something in, for it belongs to you also." Jake thought about it a little, and to his surprise, the white edges of the world faded away and were replaced by open blue skies, frilly white clouds drifting lazily across the horizon. Jake saw Advena's body slacken slightly, seemingly more at ease._

 _"_ _Did I do that?" Jake inquired eventually._

 _"_ _Yes. You have a strong mind Jacob; it shouldn't take us long to form a strong Bond to match." She sighed wistfully, one of the only noises she'd actually made this whole time. "This has all been so complicated… humans aren't designed to survive an implantation, and the only way to prevent the deaths of both the host and the embryo is to interrupt the bonding process. But I believe in us, Jacob. We can do it if we try hard enough, and then we will begin a new age, for both humans and Xenomorphs." They sat in silence a while longer after that, Jake just trying to let all the new information sink in._

 _"_ _Is this real?" he queried finally._

 _"_ _In what sense?"_

 _"_ _Is any of this real?"_

 _"_ _Well, you and I are real. Our bodies are not, and nor is the grass on which we rest, or the skies or the seas."_

 _"_ _So, we're actually having this conversation? But how?"_

 _"_ _Our minds are linked Jacob. It is how the Queen manages her Hive; through telepathy. You are apart of our Hive now, should you wish to be. Because I hatched out of you, our Bond is the strongest. We will share emotions, thoughts and memories. But there are certain other… more advanced things we can do together as a Bonded pair. We can get into that later however, because right now we need to focus on forming a telepathic link; I am growing very irritated of this… 'ASL'."_

 _"_ _So, what do I need to do?"_

 _"_ _Your mind has natural defences which do not let others in. You need to open yourself up to me. It is difficult, I know. The most common ways to form Bonds are through extensive meditation and moments of extreme emotional weakness. Meditating is much more preferable however, as we will be able to interact and form our own little world as we are doing now. And also, emotions of that scale usually mean something has gone incredibly wrong in your life, which is not something I want for you."_

 _"_ _Wait, if my mind is keeping you out, how are we talking now then?"_

 _"_ _Exactly like meditation, while you are in certain stages of sleep, your mind is open, relaxed and unguarded. Your mind is not active enough to create protection of enough strength to keep me – your Bonded – out. Well, meditation is slightly different in the fact that you are actively making your natural reflexes relax."_

 _Jake started as his vision began to blur and fade._

 _"_ _Wh-wha –?"_

 _"_ _Shh… relax. You're waking up…"_

Jake bolted upright in bed, heart fluttering in panic at the strange vision he'd just he experienced. When he turned to face his alien companion, he was not surprised in the slightest when Advena was cocking her head at him expectantly.

"I just had the craziest dream." Advena huffed and shook her head at him, but she couldn't hide the amused grin on her face.


	5. Chapter 5: Connections

**A/N: Whoo, more replying to reviews  
In response to manchild42069: I couldn't PM you, so I'll put the short version of what I wanted to say here. Basically, the characters are still growing, so hopefully you'll agree they'll become less generic as the story goes on (okay, Jake's probably not going to change a whole lot, but there are a couple of reasons behind that).  
In response to CelfwrDderwydd: Wow, those are a lot of good suggestions, so I feel kind of bad that the story is already pretty much written at this point. The three-day periods are mostly for polishing what I already have. I do have a bit of leeway however, so I'll do my best to write a couple of your ideas in, as I really do like them. Funnily enough, one or two of your ideas are already written in some of the later chapters, albeit ****_slightly_** **different.  
End A/N.**

"I can't," Jake sighed in defeat. "At least not when you keep staring at me like that. Jesus, do you know what it feels like to have a dangerous predator drooling in front of you?" Advena huffed grumpily and lowered herself onto the floor. She had been staring at him unflinchingly for five minutes straight while he screwed his eyes shut and tried to relax, yet he couldn't help but crack an eye open every few moments, only to be greeted by the sight of his alien companion staring emotionlessly back at him.

" _Frustrated, you,_ " Advena signed. It had been a long day, with advanced weapons training taking up the morning hours, and now this. Without any direction, Jake was doing his best impression of what the monks did in the movies. He sat cross-legged on a blanket in the middle of his room, breathing deeply and trying to relax.

"Yes, I'm frustrated," Jake snapped. "What the hell am I even doing right now? I can't tell what you want me to do, because I need to meditate to talk to you, but I need to talk to you to meditate!" Advena patted the air gently with her hands.

" _Calm._ " Jake sighed and massaged his temples in irritation.

"Okay, sorry. Getting worked up about it isn't going to help, right?"

" _Yes,_ " Advena replied with a satisfied grin.

"Alright, but I'm sick of sitting on the damn floor like a fool, so how about we call it a day, and we can talk about it tonight. We can do that dream thing again, right?" Advena signed the affirmative, clearly wanting to add more but unknowing of the signs necessary. A petty part of Jake felt some relief that she was getting as fed up with this ordeal as he was. "Right, so we do the weird dream thing again tonight, then try this again tomorrow."

And so became their days for the next week. Training dominated the hours of seven in the morning to four in the afternoon (with a lunch break in-between), followed by visits to the gym to ease Jake back into exercising, some free time, then some routines before dinner, dinner, and off to their room to sleep. In their dreams, Advena would explain how the stage of sleep needed for telepathic communication didn't last for long, so they didn't have the time for idle chatter. Instead, she started out by teaching Jake how to better control his mind, often using their metaphysical dream realm to practice. She then moved on to teaching him good meditation techniques to help them connect better to get them started – meditation was like the training wheels of telepathy, she said.

Tyler had yet to have another outburst; in fact, Jake almost doubted the first one had ever happened, but Advena assured him she remembered it quite vividly. They also counted themselves lucky that they hadn't run into Glover again. Now, the duo were heading into the mess hall for dinner, running into Smith on the way.

"Lieutenant Colonel, ma'am," Jake greeted her.

"I'm off-duty," she pointed out, tugging at her plain black singlet for emphasis, "call me Jeica."

"What's the occasion?" Jake teased, surprised when Jeica cracked a grin and replied:

"You don't know? Tonight's the anniversary of this station's rebirth, and every year Lenex throws a little ball thingy to celebrate. It's gonna be casual dress code, music, dancing, and best of all; booze."

"Sounds like a good time," Jake admitted, "I might actually consider coming along, so long as it's not invite only."

"Hah, of course not. You uh, might not want to bring Advena along though. She'll freak people out, and we don't want to ruin this for people. We haven't had time to unwind in forever."

" _No_ ," Advena signed firmly. She was not going to let him out of her sight. They were to be a Bonded pair; they would stick together through thick and thin. Advena would not let this 'ball' get between her and her Host.

"Oh come on Advena, nothing's going to happen to me. I'd really appreciate it if you'd do this for me; let me mingle with other humans for once." Advena wished she had the vocabulary to express it wasn't his safety she was concerned about right now; what would she do without him? Sit in a cage and wait for his return? Absolutely not. She wanted to continue training for their Bonding. She wanted to visit their dream realm and show him all the cool stuff they could do together. She wanted… she wanted him to have a good time too. She sighed and reluctantly signed:

" _Yes_." She supposed he deserved a little break after all the hard work they'd done, but she wasn't exactly happy about it.

"Jake!" Jeica scolded him. "Look at her! You're not just going to leave her all by herself in your room, are you? She'll die of boredom!" Before Jake could decide on his reply, Tyler wandered past them, grumbling to himself and tapping away at his PDA with one hand, a brown paper bag of food clasped firmly in the other. "Hey, Tyler! Over here!" Jeica waved him over. He looked up from his device, blinking in surprise, before obliging her and taking a seat. "What are you still doing in uniform? The ball starts in twenty minutes!"

"Ah, right. Yes. The ball," Tyler gushed. "Yes, that ball which I will totally one-hundred-percent be attending tonight. Twenty minutes you say? Well, I'd better be on my way to, uh, get changed and definitely not hide in my room and play video games."

"Oh stop being such a sour puss Tyler!" Jeica whined. "Why wouldn't you want to come?"

"Oh, I don't know. Big crowds, drunk idiots and assholes that I want to interact with as little as humanly possible. You're right, awkwardly sitting in the corner watching everyone else have fun is a much better use of my time than playing video games, let's do that instead."

"Ugh, you're so pessimistic," Jeica groaned.

"Yup, definitely not someone you'd want to bring to a party, so I'm just going to grab some food and scoot. Seeya tomorrow – that is, if you're not too busy nursing your hangovers."

"Tyler!" Jeica barked. "If you're not going to come, then you can look after Advena while Jake and I have fun and do interesting, not-nerdy stuff. So what will it be? Come with us to the ball and have heaps of fun dancing and socialising, or babysitting something that's just going to sit in a corner, staring at you and possibly hissing angrily from time to time?" Tyler stopped in his tracks for a moment, thinking deeply. Slowly, a grin spread across his face, and Jeica was ready to celebrate bringing out his party spirit. That was until he crooked a finger towards Advena.

"Come on girl, I'll show you a _real_ fun night. And no, that is not what 'she said' you dirty freaks," Tyler added when he caught Jake snickering at his choice of wording. Jake and Jeica watched them leave, Advena poking her tongue out at Jake childishly as she did. Once they were out of sight, Jake turned back to Jeica.

"So, casual dress code?" he asked. Jeica smirked.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Advena shoved her head through the doorway curiously, studying the room beyond, only to slouch in disappointment when she found it much the same as her own room, albeit messier. Papers and pens were strewn across the coffee table, random piles of folded clothes pushed to one side of the couch and even a small towel rail shoved into the corner. Advena sniffed around the place, showing particular interest in a small pile of empty MRE packets that were stacked neatly in a corner.

Tyler blushed and scratched the back of his neck embarrassedly.

"Yeah, I'm not used to company here, so it's kind of a mess." Advena didn't seem to mind; in fact, it only piqued her curiosity as she padded around the comfortable living space, poking her nose into the kitchen and bathroom, finding nothing interesting and thus moving on. She paused at the bedroom door and cast a glance back at Tyler, who gave her an affirmative nod. It was rude to walk into someone's nest uninvited, but as soon as she got the go-ahead it was fair game.

She trotted inside, and found nothing unusual bar the messiness of the bed and the electrical equipment set up on the small desk within. "That's my personal computer," Tyler explained, noticing her curious gaze. "You interested?" Advena slowly nodded. "Here, I'll show you something." Tyler led her back into the main room and switched the TV on. He fiddled with a small box Advena hadn't noticed before, plugging the cables which ran from it into the TV. Finally, he pressed a small object into her hand and cleared her a space on the couch.

She coiled onto the soft cushion and poked around the device in her hand. Certain parts would push in and spring out again when she released – buttons. A remote control then? It didn't look like the one for her collar, so what use would she have for it? Then the screen flared to life, and Advena gazed at the shifting images displayed. There were words on the screen… 'Riders of Regno', 'Play', 'Settings' and 'Quit'. Tyler held up an identical device to what Advena was holding and manipulated the buttons to bring up a diagram on screen. It depicted the controller Advena held, small labels telling her what each button would do, but it didn't seem to make sense. _Jump_? If she pressed the button, something would jump? What would jump? And how?

It began making more sense however, when Tyler loaded up the first level and started explaining it, how she could use the device to control the character on-screen. Advena was mesmerised to say the least. She had heard of videos before – seen them too, during what little time she'd spent free on colonies while they still functioned. But this was something entirely different; she was _controlling_ what happened. And for some peculiar reason, she felt herself getting invested in the little people on the screen, as if they _were_ her. She felt a rage in her when some big guy with a ridiculous moustache cackled and sent the kingdom of Regno into chaos. The two characters were helpless without her and Tyler! They had to help the little people on screen!

Advena was really getting into it, making Tyler smile and laugh at her enthusiasm. He caught her more than once nodding along to some of her character's – the hot-headed heroine's – dialogue. Even Tyler was impressed with her ability to sit down and play three hours straight, at which point he began yawning with increasing frequency and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Mind if I take a break?" he murred, setting down his controller, making sure their progress was saved. Advena put down her own controller to show him that it was perfectly okay with her, though she was still very hyped up after that intense chase sequence where the two heroes rode their dragons out of an exploding volcano.

She decided to stretch her legs a bit while Tyler grabbed himself a drink from the fridge. "You want anything?" he called out to her. She shook her head and zoomed off around the room, prancing about and pretending she was Perella, the fearless, stubborn heroine of Regno, swiping the air with an invisible sword, downing non-existent orcish warriors. When she returned to the couch for round two, she deflated at the sight of Tyler, snoring softly with his back firmly planted on the furniture, limbs dangling over the edge lazily. Advena sighed dejectedly and gently scooped the young man up in her arms, before carrying him into his nest.

She laid him down on his bed, accidently brushing his shirt aside and cocking her head curiously at the sliver of ugly red, scarred tissue she had revealed. Guiltily, she pulled the neck of his shirt down even farther, fully exposing the scar which bore an astounding resemblance to Jake's. Curiously, she rested her chin on the wound and began her version of meditation, trying to get a glimpse into Tyler's dreams, just to see if she could. It would certainly be nice if she could thank him for the fun night.

Instead, she reeled back in surprise when a strong defence blocked her out completely, going so far as to push her away. Had she possessed eyes, she would have been attempting to blink the confusion away, as un-Bonded humans never possessed that kind of mental strength, and Advena was sure she would be able to tell if Tyler was Bonded. Though now that she thought about it, Tyler was a very reclusive person, maybe humans developed strong mental defences if they kept to themselves too much? She gave another gentle mental prod, just to make sure she wasn't crazy. Sure enough, trying to get into Tyler's mind was like trying to dig a hole in a brick wall which had been encased in electrified iron using a spoon made of tinfoil.

Tyler stirred suddenly, eyes fluttering open groggily. Had he felt her poking? Maybe he knew all about Xenomorph telepathy. That could explain the speech about keeping secrets! He must've stuck his neck out on the line to try and keep this knowledge from… Advena's excitement suddenly died down when she noted the drowsy grin Tyler wore as he rubbed his eyes. "Sorry about that," he apologised with an embarrassed chuckle, "it's been a while since I've been able to stay up this late. But hey, the others are probably drunk off their asses right now, which means we can sleep in tomorrow and stay up late tonight. What do ya feel like doing?"

Well, that was certainly a silly question. Advena bolted out the door, and when Tyler mustered the wherewithal to follow, he found her curled comfortably on the couch, controller in hand. She was desperate to know what happened to the two heroes after the Orc patrol had found them and their draconic companions passed out in the snow. "Good God I hope Jake's a gamer, or I'll never hear the end of this," Tyler muttered to himself, a broad smirk contradicting his grouchy tone. He quickly threw on some popcorn, before chucking it in a bowl and settling down on the couch next to his alien guest. "Want some?" Advena sniffed the bowl curiously, before thrusting her hand in and taking out a fistful, just as she'd seen Tyler doing moments ago.

The human in question watched in fascination as Advena's inner mouth shot out and plucked the puffy treats one or two at a time, chirping delightedly as the sweet and salty taste obviously agreed with her. Then the next hour was devoted to flying through three more levels, until they were promptly interrupted by an insistent knock on the door. "That'll be Jake and Jeica," Tyler speculated, pausing their game so he could answer the loud banging. Tyler arched an eyebrow at the gruff sergeant on the other side, supporting his human friends on an arm each.

"They got into a drinking competition," the man explained. "I uh, could only get your name out of them. Would you mind taking them home?" They both watched as Jake giggled excitedly and spun around in desperate little circles, reaching out into the air to try and grab something, until he fell on his ass and burst out laughing. "They're _really_ drunk," the sergeant reiterated.

"Uh, right. Thanks. We'll take care of them," Tyler promised, urgently motioning Advena forward. The sergeant tipped his hat to him before making his way down the corridor, leaving Tyler to stare disapprovingly at the two drunk idiots prancing around on his doorstep.

"Hey dere cutie, come here of'en?" Jeica slurred, collapsing wonkily onto the doorframe for support, and yet somehow managing to play it off cool.

"Advena, you can take Jake back to your room, right?" The Xenomorph signed 'yes' and quickly ducked her head beneath Jake's armpit, taking his weight before he managed to fall over again. "I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?" This time, Advena just nodded seeing as her arms were occupied in keeping Jake under control. She watched as Tyler grabbed Jeica's hand and practically dragged her in the direction of her room, ignoring all the jeers and 'accidental' groping she sent his way. Then she was alone with her drunk human in the middle of a deserted corridor.

She released a hissing sigh of disapproval at her host's uncoordinated behaviour and began walking them back to their room.

" _Stupid,_ " she hissed at him. That's the only word she could describe how he was being right now. Just plain stupid. He kept 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing at random objects in the corridor, before promptly attempting (vainly) to drag them both over to them, much to Advena's annoyance.

"Hey…" Jake protested sluggishly.

" _What now?_ " Advena groaned internally.

"Lighten up lady… it's a party~!"

" _Who the hell is he talking to?_ "

"I'm talkin' to _you_ sweetheart…" Advena stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly turned to face the intoxicated human, who continued to stare blankly right back at her. She gave a gentle prod with her mind, absolutely elated to find that his mind was relaxed and unguarded. She felt waves of raw emotion roll over her, and random, half-baked thoughts swirling in a disarray of incompetence.

" _You can hear me now…_ " Advena thought, more to herself than the human before her. This had to be the most exciting thing that had happened to her since –

"Whoa… are you an alien?"

" _Oh for fuck's sake._ "

Advena decided it would be best to get Jake inside before she decided to hurt him.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Jake moaned like a dying old man and pulled the covers over his head tightly.

"Ohhhh fuck my head… how much did I drink last night?" He couldn't remember anything but blurs. Dancing with Jeica… the bartender's annoying polka-dot bowtie… lots and lots and _lots_ of empty shot glasses…

" _Enough to learn your lesson I hope._ "

"Ah! Don't yell! It hurts!"

" _I'm not yelling fool. My voice cannot increase or decrease in volume, for it is silent._ " Jake blinked slowly, the throbbing in his cranium slowing down his thought process to the point where it took him a full two minutes to figure out he had never heard that voice before. Definitely feminine, soft, and… oh wait, he _had_ heard that voice before. Just not while he was awake…

"Am… am I still asleep? Dreaming?"

" _No. Whatever you drank last night destroyed your mental safeguards long enough for me to establish our Bond. You are hearing thoughts that I am specifically broadcasting to you._ "

"Oh man… I want to know more, but at the same time, I want to have an aspirin, take a cold shower, then crawl back into bed."

" _Tough. You're getting up and dealing with the consequences of your actions._ "

"I didn't take you for a hard-ass when we first met," Jake groaned, clutching his forehead as Advena wrapped her tail around his waist and tugged him out of their nest.

" _And I didn't take you for an idiot who drinks excessive quantities of poisonous substance._ "

"Touché. Point taken."

" _Now, with enough practice, you should be able to train yourself to do the same as me. As of now, I can only hear your thoughts when under the effects of extreme emotions, or alcohol, apparently._ "

"And when I do, you'll be able to read my mind?" Jake didn't want to be a pessimist, but that didn't exactly sound like a good deal to him. He liked his thoughts to be private, thank you very much.

" _Of course not,_ " Advena snorted. It was odd, that Jake got the impression she was scoffing at him. Her speech was laced with emotion, and yet it wasn't the tone of her voice which conveyed it. When she spoke, he could feel emotion radiate off her like warmth from a fire. " _I will be able to feel your emotions at will – I can now, to an extent – but your thoughts are your own unless you intentionally broadcast them, or if you become under emotional stress. Things get a bit more complicated once you start broadcasting however, seeing as it takes a lot of practice and effort to hold a private conversation. As I speak now, anybody within range who possesses telepathic capabilities would be able to listen in. Likewise, you and I would be able to hear any non-privatised thoughts being broadcasted within our ranges. It takes a lot of mental effort to focus your thoughts towards an individual, and even more to ensure nobody else can pick up on it._ "

"This feels different than when we talked in my dreams…" Jake stated confusedly.

" _That is to be expected_ ," Advena assured him, thankfully allowing the bite to drop from her words. " _This is not quite the same. We were much more separated in the dreams, as we were not Bonded. Not to mention that nothing which occurs in our metaphysical realm is technically real._ " Now Jake understood why Advena had always sounded calm and sometimes even monotonous in his dreams; she couldn't convey emotion like she could now. That would also explain why her voice sounded slightly different.

"Well, we definitely can't keep this a secret, can we? We should find Tyler, I'm sure he'll be absolutely thrilled to hear about this."

" _Let's try to keep it to a minimum though. Remember what he said about secrets. Even from him._ "

"Right. Think we'll catch him in the mess hall?"

" _Perhaps at lunch time._ "

"Lunch time?" Jake echoed dumbly. "Why lunch ti… oh my god it's half-past eleven. Advena! I shouldn't be sleeping in this late!"

" _I doubt Jeica is in better condition than you,_ " Advena chuckled in return, earning herself a reprimanding glare.

"That's _Lieutenant Colonel Smith_ to you, Private!"

" _Oh bite me_."

"Sure, just don't expect me to let you do the same." Advena growled playfully and pounced atop him, knocking him off the bed and pinning him to the floor. Before she could celebrate however, there was a shy knock on their door. They quickly rolled off each other and stumbled to their feet, Jake scrambling to make himself look presentable while Advena stalked over to answer the door. She was surprised to find Tyler awaiting her on the other side, wringing his hands apprehensively.

"Uh, hi Advena. Is Corporal Harlor in?" Advena signed him a yes, a little peeved that she still had to use the silly hand language to communicate, despite the fact she had successfully Bonded with Jake. "Right. Um, well, we're kinda behind schedule on training right now… would you guys mind reporting to our shooting range after lunch?" Advena signed him another yes, which had Tyler hesitating for a moment, trying desperately to decide whether she was signing yes she would come, or yes she minded. "Uh, right. So I'll, er, see you there?" Advena sighed irritably and signed another yes, before Jake suddenly burst into the doorway behind her.

"Oh! Hey! Tyler. What's up?"

"Corporal please, we're on the clock. Or at least, some of us are. Please try to be professional." Jake shuffled embarrassedly at the critical way Tyler was eying his messy uniform, before turning heel and stalking away down the corridor.

It wasn't unlike Tyler to awkwardly speak formally to his three co-workers when they were training, nor was it unusual for him to become irritable quickly when Jake and Advena spent too much time messing around, but something was definitely bothering the young man. And just turning away like that? _That_ was new. Regardless, Advena was quick to relay the information she was given, and Jake concluded they could talk to him later. After he had lunch. And fetched a pair of sunglasses.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"How's your head feeling Corporal?" Tyler asked without looking up from his screen. Jake paused for a second, confused as to why the scientist had chosen to wrap a stripy scarf around his neck; it wasn't exactly cold on the station. Jake ended up shrugging it off and replying:

"Like a herd of elephants is stampeding through it."

"Good. Today we're trying something different. Your wound has had ample time to heal to a point where you can exert yourself, so you'll be joining this training mission. With this new telepathic link you wrote about in your report, it should be a piece of cake to teach Advena new combat skills on the fly. Could you please step into the testing arena?"

Jake shrugged, feeling he was more or less ready, even if his wound wasn't really fully healed. But he was going to be an Elite; he needed to be able to operate through injuries now or he would never cope on the battlefield where it really mattered. As he and Advena stepped through the doorway, they were handed combat gear and Pulse Rifles, courtesy of Lieutenant Colonel Smith. She then saluted them with a grim expression, before stepping back into the safety of the control room, sealing the door shut behind her.

Tyler began tapping away at his computers, and Advena watched in awe as bright lights flickered on overhead and the panels which lined the room shifted and contorted. The room was bigger now, and raised platforms, walls, windows and doorways were scattered around the place. "Advena, you're new to all this, so I'll give you a heads-up. This is an advanced training exercise where we will pit a number of combat androids against you, armed with stun weapons. Fell free to destroy them; they're specifically designed to be non-sentient, and your weapons are firing live ammunition. I'm setting them to moderate difficulty for starters. Should be a breeze."

Advena whirled to where a pulsing, mechanical whirr could be heard, finding herself staring at a bundle of cylinders being lowered into the opposite end of the arena. Feeling curious, she scampered up to the roof and stared as the capsules opened, allowing sleek, angular, exoskeletal figures to step out, Pulse Rifle replicas swinging loosely at their sides. Their bulky heads held a slotted, red light for their eye, and a small antennae sticking out the back. They wore flimsy combat vests and their skinny little arms looked like frail bones which could be snapped with ease. Their feet, unlike their hands, lacked digits, and were instead just flat, blade-like pieces of curved steel.

"Hey, so what's their difficulty equivalent?" Jake inquired, already running a critical eye over his weapons to ensure they were in working order.

"Insurrectionist. Pseudo-military training, disorganised, but smarter than your average farmer with a shotgun. That's the easy setting by the way," Tyler answered through the intercom. "Oh, and we're doing Team Deathmatch scenario; kill all enemies."

Deathmatch. Advena remembered Tyler talking about that when he was rambling about video games. There were all sorts of interesting 'game modes' in his video games, like Last Man Standing, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag, and Deathmatch. She hissed a 'ready' to Jake and crouched into an attack position. Tyler nodded when Jake gave him the thumbs up, and initiated the scenario.

"Go!" Jake yelled, throwing his hand forward in a chopping motion, before sprinting forward with his gun at the ready. Advena leapt onto the wall and kept up with him easily. She launched herself off the wall and crushed an android beneath her when she landed. The remaining three dumbly turned for a moment, giving her time to smack one across the face with the back of her hand hard enough to shatter it against a wall and slice another in half with her tail. Jake laughed as he sent the last one sparking to the floor with a quick burst from his gun. "Leave some for the rest of us!" he exclaimed.

They quickly returned to the observation window and dropped their smiles when they saw Tyler shaking his head, frowning, scribbling something down on a clipboard.

"Okay, do either of you see something wrong with that tactic?" Jake and Advena shared a look, then timidly shook their heads. Tyler shrugged. "Alright then. Let's see how you fare against hard difficulty bots. Get ready for round two."

"Uh, equivalent?" Jake prompted, quickly checking his ammo count.

"Private ranked USCM soldiers. Smarter, beginnings of coordination, honed reactions and limited tactical capabilities." Advena watched the insertion pods dropping off their payload again, and noted the androids looked exactly the same. "Starting scenario. Prepare for Team Deathmatch." Advena rushed across the room via the roof, not even bothering to wait for Jake. These crunchy people were easy kills.

"Hey, Advena! Get back here!" Jake protested, sprinting to catch up. He slid to a halt inside a window frame and rested his gun on the sill, a sharp eye glued to his sights. Advena dropped from the roof and crushed the first android, just like last time. Then one of the droids whipped around and shot her with a short two-second burst. She screeched and leapt through a nearby doorway, smacking a droid with a glancing blow from her tail on her way. It stumbled, but regained its balance. "Advena, you okay?" Jake demanded through his headset in a harsh whisper.

" _Ow… that didn't happen last time..._ " she groaned.

"The difficulty has been amped up. These are the sort of people you can expect to meet on the field, well the lower end of the field anyway."

"INVESTIGATING AUDIO ANOMOLY," an android grated out, stalking towards Jake's position, leading the way with its gun. Jake swore to himself and popped up from his cover, unloading a short burst into the bot's chest. It fell with a mechanical screech, immediately causing the other two remaining droids to converge on his position on either side, attempting to flank him.

"Advena, take out the one on the right, I'll get the left."

" _Roger that Jacob_."

Jake gave her a few seconds to get into position, before rolling out the doorway on his left and nailing the bot in the head, seconds before Advena crushed its downed body.

" _My_ right Advena!" Jake whined, before getting smacked in the back of the head with a stun round. Advena hissed and ripped the offending android in half with her brute strength, before cradling Jake's unconscious body in her arms.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Stupid, reckless and uncoordinated."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Ugh, just when I thought my job would be easy."

"Sorry Ma'am."

"Where is the bloody thing now anyway? It looks like I have to run _both_ of you through _basic_ tactics."

"With Ty – Mister Doelle, Ma'am. If I may, allowing me to teach her second-hand would strengthen our bond as well as synchronise our tactical responses," Jake suggested, hands clasped firmly behind his back, posture straight as a board and eyes fixed on the ceiling. Jeica sighed and pulled her cap down to cover her eyes.

"Whatever, I really don't have the willpower to deal with this right now. Fine, I'll run you through tactics for two hours every morning, then you teach your pet for two hours. In the afternoon, you'll jump through Mister Doelle's hoops so you can join his circus or whatever the hell it is he's doing."

"Thank you Ma'am."

"And for the love of God, I know the evening's supposed to be your free period, but do something _constructive_ with your time, would you?"

"Yes Ma'am." Jeica sighed again and massaged her temples wearily.

"That simulation program is supposed to be _easy_ for trained soldiers. And you had a fucking killing machine on your side! I guess today is karma for drinking so much last night. And dancing with a subordinate." Jake tried not to show anything externally, but he was silently groaning in frustration. Jeica had finally been beginning to like him, and now this. Right back to square one.

And so began their new cycle. Tactical training without Advena in the morning, with her before lunch, miscellaneous tests and examinations in the afternoon, then some downtime in the gym, their room, or lounging around in the cafeteria. Advena had plenty of stories to tell about the video games she played with Tyler during the mornings, going so far as to prevent him from sleeping one night while blabbering on about her first online gaming session.

It was on the seventeenth day of that schedule that things picked up again. Jake and Advena wandered into the control room, nodding to Tyler, who was going through a weird fashion stage. Some days, he was wearing scarves, sunglasses, trousers, sweaters and even fingerless gloves. It was odd, but nobody spoke out against him – he was a civilian after all; he had free reign over his uniform. He nodded back, pulling the cap down tightly over his head so it overshadowed the pair of pitch black sunglasses he wore, not uttering a word as he returned to tapping away at his computer console. He had quietened down a lot too, almost enough to worry Jake, but the young scientist was quick to assure everyone he was fine and they were overreacting.

Jeica handed the duo weapons at the door with an expectant 'good luck', before joining Tyler in the safety of the control room and settling down in a comfortable chair, spinning in it idly while she waited for the simulation to boot up.

"Okay Advena, you know the drill. Stay tight, check your quarters, watch my back and I'll watch yours. And most importantly –"

" _Use your guns Advena, overcome your instincts Advena. Don't rush in with your claws Advena. I've got it Mom._ "

"Hey, is that actually a thing?" Jake asked, levelling his rifle as the lights slowly flickered on, and the arena began to take shape into tight corridors, sharp corners and long rooms. "Does giving birth to you make me your mom, or your dad?"

" _Neither. The Queen is my mother, and a Praetorian named Xyen is my father. You are my Host; my Bonded. It is an intimate relationship somewhere between friend and lover._ "

"Right, I'm just gonna go ahead and forget that last part. How we doing Doelle?"

"Thirty seconds. Scenario: outnumbered in hostile territory. Difficulty: Expert. Equivalent: Experienced soldiers with tactics and coordination of a well-established squad you'd expect to be facing on the field. The enemy knows you're here, so you've lost the element of surprise. Eliminate all opposition." Jake nodded along with the run-down, glad Tyler had fallen into the habit of keeping it brief.

" _You are not repulsed by me, are you?_ " Advena inquired sullenly, still hung up on Jake's last comment.

"Of course not; stay focused Advena. If we don't nail this, Jeica's gonna skin me alive."

"That's _Lieutenant Colonel_ while we're on duty, Corporal," the human in question announced over the intercom.

"Shit, didn't think you'd hear that Ma'am."

"Simulation start," Tyler cut in before anything else could be exchanged. Jake nodded to Advena, who tucked her rifle's stock into her armpit and levelled the sights. Jake followed suit and took the lead, sweeping the area for hostiles. They rounded a corner into a cramped corridor, coming face to face with two readied androids. The duo quickly gunned the robots down, before rolling into opposite doorways when reinforcements charged into the confined space.

" _Our paths cross again up ahead. Take a side each and meet up in the middle,_ " Advena advised. Jake swung himself into the side room and nailed an android in the head, quickly followed by its partner. Advena sprinted to attain some momentum in her side room, before tucking her head into a roll, avoiding the weapons fire directed at her, finishing up with a slide behind her enemies where she stabbed one with her tail and blasted the other into bits with her rifle. She then charged back out into the corridor beyond via the second doorway, bumping into Jake lightly as they destroyed the androids they'd just flanked.

"Open room ahead," Jake informed his partner as they slid along the walls towards the room at the end of the corridor, slightly ajar. "Two guys, one on either side of the door, waiting to ambush us. Table in the middle can be used for cover. It's a bigger room, watch for ranged fire."

" _Gotcha. On your mark._ "

"Go!" Jake dived through the doorway, popping up into a crouch to unload three busts into the androids guarding the door, while Advena launched herself off his shoulder, crashing into the table on a perfectly-calculated angle, flipping it onto its side in the process. She pressed her bulky form to the floor so as to hide herself behind their cover, while Jake slammed his shoulder into it next to her, barely avoiding the storm of stun pellets which whizzed overhead.

" _That noob is camping!_ " Advena protested, referring to the rifleman in the doorway at the other end of the room.

"Yeah, and I counted eight more ahead of us. They've got a flipped table too. Too thick to penetrate with our bullets." He paused for a moment, her comment finally sinking in. "Hang on, did you just say ' _noob_ '?"

" _Throwing 'nade_." Advena popped out of cover for long enough to biff a frag grenade at the 'camper', acing the throw and causing the small sphere to roll to a halt at the target android's feet. It tried to throw itself out of the way, but was clipped by the explosion and thrown into the wall, busted. " _Now watch and learn scrub_."

"Please stop. These aren't proper military terms –" He was cut short when Advena hurdled the table, yelling:

" _Cover me!_ " Yelling. Strange, it wasn't as if her voice was louder, it was just dominating his thoughts better than when she wasn't 'yelling'. Telepathy is confusing. Jake propped his weapon on the topmost edge of the table and laid down some suppressive fire, keeping half an eye on Advena, who had flung herself onto the wall and was now sliding across it, one hand digging her claws into the surface to keep her anchored, the other firmly grasping her Pulse Rifle as it spat bullets into the enemy's ranks.

She ended her wall slide by pouncing off its surface, letting loose a torrent of bullets as she passed over the androids' heads, only stopping when she hit the ground, sliding a metre with her clawed hand digging into the floor to stop her from crashing into the opposite wall.

"Where the hell did you learn that?" Jake demanded as he jogged over to her position.

" _Tyler showed me._ " She noted Jake's horrified and confused expression. By the sounds of it, a civilian – and a nerd at that – had just taught his friend one of the most kick-ass manoeuvres he had ever seen. She quickly elaborated. " _In a video game. A really good one he picked out just for me; it has these guys who have jump packs and can slide across walls just like me and –_ "

"Later Advena. We have a mission to finish." He knew full well how long she could drone on about Tyler's video games. Enough to make him concerned for his alien companion. He made a mental note to tell Tyler to tone it down later.

" _Right. Sorry. If you were wondering, it's called –"_

"Advena. Last corridor. I'm going to throw a grenade, then we both swing in and fire at any survivors. Got it?"

" _Yessir_."

"Good. Let's go." Jake flicked the pin out of his grenade and tossed it through the final doorway, being careful to expose as little of his body as possible. He gave it two seconds, and thanked the lord when he saw Advena do the same. In sync, they both popped into the small doorway, accentuated by the exploding ordinance. They compressed their triggers and took out the last remaining stragglers who had avoided the frag.

Done. A loud buzz echoed throughout the arena, followed by the grating of panels moving back into place. Slowly, the walls shifted and rippled away, leaving them in their small, boxy room once more. They carefully placed their weapons on the rack and trotted into the control room, releasing silent sighs of relief when they were met with a grinning Jeica.

"Nice work out there marines. We'll make proper soldiers of you yet," she praised them, before turning and exiting the area. But not before tossing over her shoulder: "Take the rest of the day off. We can pick up again tomorrow." Well, that was certainly generous. Training would usually go on for another couple of hours, but Jake wasn't about to complain, and nor was Advena.

" _Hey, maybe we can borrow a game from Tyler? I_ need _to show you these things – they're amazing!_ " Advena suggested.

"I think you've had enough for today. How about we take a break from staring at screens, ay?" Advena huffed in irritation, but she knew she could crack her human companion eventually. She _would_ get Jake to play video games with her, and she _would_ invite Tyler over to join them. She'd never been able to beat him in a one on one, but maybe with Jake at her side… She'd need to train him up first, of course. Jake didn't strike her as the type to have played many video games in his time, which meant he would be as clueless as she was when she first started out. He would learn slower too. Jake always congratulated her on how fast she got the hang of things, but in her opinion, he was just slow. Ah well, love is blind as they say.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Jake spoke up again, but this time not to her. "Hey, Tyler, you coming?" The human was slouched over his console, forehead resting in his palm in such a way that had Jake frowning in concern.

"Yeah, I've just gotta finish up here… I'll catch up to ya later, alright?" Jake grudgingly agreed and motioned for Advena to follow him out the door.

"Hey, 'Vena, you mind heading back to the room for a bit?"

" _Aren't you coming too?_ " she inquired innocently. She didn't exactly want to be left alone. She wasn't worried about Jake – no, he was more than capable of handling himself, as much as she hated to be separated – and nor was she worried for her own safety, she just got so damned _bored_ sitting in that room by herself. Jake could at least send her over to Tyler's place so she could play some video games.

"Listen, Tyler's acting up real weird – even more so than usual. I'm gonna follow him and try to see what the problem is. _Discreetly_. That means I can't have the big beautiful alien at my side, else all the love-struck fan boys out there will go all googly over you and attract all kinds of unwanted attention."

" _Fine you big flirt. I'll see you later._ " Advena made sure to give him an equally playful parting gift in the way of a slap on the butt via her tail before sauntering off, making the young soldier chuckle at her attitude. She seemed to take well to a good flattering. Maybe he should use that tactic more often – it might even get her to stop eating bloody meat on the couch. On that note, he quickly found himself a spot to lean inconspicuously against the wall. Minutes later, Tyler stepped out, giving a brief look in either direction, completely missing Jake in his shadowy part of the corridor.

The man was nervous, glancing around himself constantly, but not effectively enough to spot Jake as he silently padded along behind him, silent as possible, and maintaining distance in order to allow him to step out of sight if needed. Jake held his breath as he heard Tyler's footsteps come to a halt, just around the corner. Jake pressed himself as close as possible without being spotted and listened.

"O-oh no…" Tyler whimpered, taking a step back in Jake's direction.

"I thought I told you to stop fucking around with my men, jackass," a gruff voice spat.

"W-what are you – ?"

"Don't play games with me bitch!" _Thunk_. Jake took a peek, and saw Tyler pinned to the wall by a bulky man in a sergeant's uniform, military balaclava covering his face with the assistance of the tactical visor over his eyes. Jake cursed internally as he spotted three other men hanging back behind them, faces covered in a similar manner. It would be impossible to identify them. The sergeant ripped the sunglasses from Tyler's face, exposing the black eye beneath. "Remember what I can do to you."

"I think he's forgotten, Sir," one of the backing marines chimed in. "You might need to give him another lesson."

"Tell him what he did to Mackay!" another urged.

"I distinctly remember telling you to keep my men out of your fucking experiments yesterday, don't you?" The sergeant rammed his fist into Tyler's stomach, then threw the doubled-over man to the floor. "Don't you?"

"Y-yes…" Tyler stuttered.

"So why is it then," the sergeant continued, crouching down to the downed man's level, "that I report in this morning to find out that one of my men has been killed by one of your fucking pets?"

"S-sorry Sir, I-I just don't have the staff to –"

"Sorry?" the sergeant roared. "I'll make you sorry you insolent cunt!" A hard kick flew into Tyler's ribs, ripping a choked cry of pain from the man's throat.

"That's enough!" Jake interrupted them before the other men could join in. He stepped out from his hiding place and stood in the dead centre of their vision.

"Who the hell do you think you are Corporal? Stand down; that's an order." Jake faltered. This was a superior officer. He couldn't take official action against an anonymous sergeant, but if he tried to defend Tyler physically he'd probably get thrown into jail courtesy of the sergeant's three 'witnesses'. He couldn't exactly just stand by and watch either. He needed help, he needed a superior officer he could trust, and he needed them _now_. Jeica. Where is Jeica? He needed Jeica. She could sort this all out.

Advena's head shot up from where it had been resting on the bed. She had felt something, a gentle tugging at her mind.

" _Jeica… where is Jeica? I need Jeica…_ "

" _Jake?!_ " she cried in return, leaping to her feet.

" _Oh God, Advena? Is she okay? She sounds terrified!_ "

" _Jake, I can hear you! You're talking to me! I'll – I'll go get Jeica, and bring her to you! Just stay where you are!_ "

Jake grinned and folded his arms self-satisfactorily at the glaring marines.

"Forget the asshole!" the sergeant barked, returning his attention to Tyler. "Let's teach this fucker to follow orders." Jake's grin quickly contorted into an expression of horror when the sergeant slammed his foot into Tyler's stomach, making him desperately try to curl into a fetal position. The other marines joined in, landing blow after blow on his vulnerable body, exacting their revenge for their fallen comrade.

Without thinking, Jake threw himself onto the sergeant. Jeica would believe his story, and Tyler was living proof of it, so he had nothing to lose by slamming the gruff man into the wall and laying into him. His plan was cut short, however, when both his arms were seized and a fist rocketed into his stomach, crippling him as he too fell onto the floor, groaning as he gasped for breath. "Keep him down." Then the other three continued their assault on Tyler, whilst Jake was kept helpless by a lone, cruel marine. Jake's heart wrenched when he heard Tyler whispering, over and over again:

"Help me help me help me oh god please help me please help me…" Then Tyler's body jerked and stopped moving, his whimpering ceased and his tears ran dry on his cheeks. Tyler couldn't see any more. Everything was black, and warm, and he felt… safe. The pain had disappeared, and the only discomfort was a slight itch on his tailbone. He was lulled by the low thrumming which filled the air, interrupted intermittently by quiet whooshes, clangs and bumps. It was rhythmic… calming…

Meanwhile, Jake gasped in amazement as Tyler's hand flung out and grasped the sergeant's ankle. Before the gruff man had time to be surprised, his foot was yanked out from beneath him and Tyler was on his feet, rage burning in his eyes. He hissed in pain… or maybe anger… as the two other marines recovered and charged at him. He jumped at the wall, planting both feet on the vertical surface for half a second before pushing off it, grabbing one of the marines' heads on the way past, his momentum carrying it forward and crashing it right into his friend's face. The two toppled to the floor while Tyler landed in a graceful crouch, one hand on the floor before him to steady him.

The third marine swung a fist directly at Tyler's face, but lightning fast his head whipped aside, and his hand shot out to grab the soldier's wrist. Then Tyler sent a punch of his own with enough force to shatter the man's visor. He crumpled, but he'd distracted Tyler long enough to have allowed the sergeant to pick himself up and launch himself at the enraged scientist. Tyler crossed his forearms, blocking the incoming strike easily, then jabbed three fingers into his stomach with enough force to wind the gruff sergeant, followed by smashing his crossed forearms over the back of his head when he doubled over.

He whipped around, eying the other pair as they groggily picked themselves up, grasping their heads in pain. He wasted no time in letting them recover, instead opting to grab one's head and yank it down into his knee as he brought it up, causing the two to collide with devastating force. The second of the pair made a drunken punch, staggering past his target when Tyler sidestepped. The scientist then kicked the back of the attacker's shins, making him collapse onto the floor.

Cracked visor and sergeant had made their way to their feet by then, so Tyler was forced to abandon his current target it favour of leaping onto the wall, pushing off and then sailing onto the opposite side. He launched himself off the second wall in a flying kick that had cracked visor's ribs creaking in protest when they collided, their momentum smashing cracked visor against the wall with crippling force. He grabbed the other recovering marine's head and smashed it against the wall easily, knocking him out cold immediately as well as breaking his nose messily. That left just the sergeant.

Tyler was panting by now, sweat making his clothes damp and his hair soggy, yet he raised his fists in defence and awaited the sergeant's move. The lone soldier opted to feint a punch left, before swinging an uppercut with his right fist. Tyler arched his back, easily avoiding the blow. But his body didn't stop there; he ended up doing a back flip, his feet smashing first his crotch, then his face as they flung up with his body's momentum. The sergeant's form slammed onto the ground, face up, gasping pitifully. But Tyler didn't let up. He pounced on the downed man and repeatedly slammed his fist into his face. Jake was nauseated and had to look away as blood sprayed across the walls and even what looked like a tooth splattered onto the floor.

His gaze now turned towards the corridor beyond, he was the first to notice Advena and Jeica thundering down the hallway, screeching to a horrified stop when they saw the scene beyond.

"Advena! Get Tyler off of that man! NOW!" Jeica roared. As the Xenomorph moved to do as she was told, Jeica gently helped Jake to his feet.

"Lieutenant… it's not what you think it is…" Jake mumbled. Tyler offered no resistance when he was forcibly removed from the sergeant's deathly still form, but thankfully Jake could spot the rise and fall of the man's chest.

"Jesus Christ Jacob! There's enough blood here for three fucking crime scenes. What the hell happened?"

"They… attacked Tyler, then he –" He was cut short when Advena returned, with Tyler stumbling along in front of her.

"C-catch me…" he rasped, before collapsing. Advena's hands shot out, her reactions allowing her to cradle the scientist in her arms before he could hit the floor. He was still for a few moments, and the hallway was silent bar the ragged breathing of five incapacitated humans, until Tyler's eyes flickered open. "Wh-what happened…?" he groaned. "I feel like shit…" Then he noticed the aftermath of his fight. "Holy mother of fuck… what the hell did you guys do to them?"


	6. Chapter 6: Well Worth the Risk

**A/N: Would just like to point out this used to be two chapters, but I merged them together due to one being too short, so sorry if the pacing seems a bit weird.**

"How is he Doc?"

"He's awake, but we can't let anyone in right now; he needs rest."

"And the soldiers?"

"They're alive, a couple have already been sent to the General's office for their punishments. No charges are being pressed against Mister Doelle, but those guys are in deep shit. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say they won't be in the military much longer."

Jake nodded solemnly, relieved that the brutal fight hadn't resulted in any casualties. Well, it was hardly a fight; it was a bunch of marines beating a defenceless man to the ground, followed by a blood-rage massacre. He stroked Advena's side absent-mindedly whilst wondering if the third and final occupant of the room, Doctor Harper, was too busy for a few more questions. "There is one puzzling thing however," she continued without any prompt from Jake.

"What's that?"

"He shows no signs of any head trauma significant enough to cause concussion, but he swears on his life that he can't recall the fight. He remembers being beaten to the ground, then dreaming of a – and I quote – 'safe, dark and warm place'. He could have fainted, but I don't think becoming a ninja in your sleep is a valid medical condition."

"So what does that mean for him?"

"I can't really give you anything as it stands, but as soon as he's well enough to release, I need him to get checked out by a professional psychologist. He might be reluctant to comply, so it'd be a huge help if you could, as his friend, persuade him to go. Remember, we're not calling him crazy; we're just trying to make sure he, and the people around him, are safe and healthy. Make sure to tell him that."

"Is something wrong with him? A mental disorder?" Jake demanded worriedly. Advena didn't seem to share his concern, as she was too busy being confused about the whole situation. It didn't seem so far-fetched to her; Tyler must have learned to move like that from his video games. He played lots of action and fighting games, after all. The loss of memory thing was new to her though. The doctor sighed, chewing her lip agitatedly.

"Patient-doctor confidentiality aside, he's had some rough shit in his past, and the amount of stress and physical trauma dumped on him recently could have caused some manifesting disorder to surface suddenly. Look, it could be nothing, so hold off worrying until after his psychiatric evaluation, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks for the heads-up."

" _So… what was all that about?_ " Advena asked cautiously once they'd ducked out of the waiting room. Jake gave her an odd look.

"What do you mean? The Doc said he's good, but they're going to check him for any mental disorders that could explain his memory loss."

" _Oh. Are these… 'disorders' common among humans? Ones that cause memory loss and increased combat effectiveness that is."_ Jake had to shrug at that one. There were reasons why he joined the military over being a doctor or psychiatrist. All the technical terms and memorising required gave him headaches. Military terms always seemed snappier and more direct; even if you forgot what something meant, the chances are you could glean the definition from the context.

"Pretty common I guess. There are loads of different disorders around, from mild and tolerable to inhibitory. Some warp people's view on reality, turning them into paranoid psychos or murderers. Scary stuff…" Jake trailed off, wanting desperately to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, but if Tyler had one of _those_ kinds of disorders, it could explain his whole 'don't trust anyone' outburst. Now he was torn between whether he should inform someone or not – it could play a key part in getting Tyler the help he needed. But if he was clean, then telling someone could jeopardise Tyler's career.

" _Are you alright?_ " Advena asked, jerking Jake out of his thoughts. He wondered if he'd accidentally sent any of that to his companion, and tried speaking to her with his mind.

" _Yeah. Can you hear me?_ " Silence. "Could you hear me?" Jake repeated aloud.

" _You didn't say anything…_ "

"Ah, never mind. I was trying my hand at telepathy. Obviously haven't gotten the hang of it yet."

" _It'll come to you. We just need to work on it. It should be much easier now that you've already done it once anyway._ " The duo continued to chat idly as they wandered into the mess hall, poising to grab their respective meals. However, Advena didn't make a move to grab her own tray, even as Jake made to find them a table.

"Problem?" he asked, glancing from his alien companion to the meat on the bench.

" _You always have such nice stuff, and all I get is a lump of meat everyday. Can't I try something different for a change?_ "

"Wait, Xenos aren't carnivores?" Jake guffawed. Advena shook her head.

" _That would just be stupid; we take our strength from all sources, just as you do._ "

"Oh, I always just assumed –"

" _Yes, yes you did,_ " Advena snapped. Jake raised a hand in surrender, before pushing Advena's tray of meat away and ordering her a chicken and rice salad instead.

"You could always speak up if I'm doing something wrong here, Advena," Jake pointed out as they found a seat.

" _What do you think I was doing back there?_ " she demanded.

"Okay, but I mean, less aggressively. This is hard for me too, you know. You're an alien whose kind has shown a heavy tendency towards violence and I'm doing my best to deal with it. So cut me some slack, would ya?" Advena huffed and rested her chin on her palm, staring at her food as she stabbed it idly with an awkwardly-held fork. Jake studied her for a few moments, stricken by how readable her body language was.

" _Sometimes I wonder,_ " Advena explained. " _How do you see me? Do you see me as a friend? Or maybe a colleague? Or am I an asset; something to make a profit from? A tool, to help eradicate your enemies? Perhaps just a deadly alien around whom caution must always be exercised lest I try to kill you all?_ "

"Advena," Jake sighed, "of course I don't see you like that. You're a killing machine, that's for sure, but you're a person too. Just give me some time to adjust to this all; Xenomorphs have done lots of bad things in my lifetime, which makes it hard to look past the teeth and the claws. Just, be patient with me, okay?"

" _I'm trying!_ " Advena protested, " _I really am trying. If nothing else, can you at least promise me one thing? Promise me that you will trust me. Without trust, the two of us will never get anywhere. No Bonding, no Elite soldier unit, no nothing. So promise me that I'll always have your trust._ "

"Advena, you wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't trust you," Jake told her gently. The Xenomorph growled and jerked away when he tried to pat her hand comfortingly.

" _Stop avoiding it. Promise. Me._ " Jake sighed and bit his lip. He knew she was right; this would never work if he didn't put his trust in her. But even as it stood, he couldn't quite believe that a Xenomorph would just turn into a good guy like this, after all they'd done. He'd seen the destructive power of Xenos over and over again, innocent lives torn to shreds, humanity put on the run for so long. And yet, he could _feel_ the emotions of the creature before him, hear her thoughts when she was upset. She didn't seem like a monster, so maybe it was time to stop thinking of her as one.

Jake reached out and gripped Advena's hands, this time meeting no resistance from the alien as he stared her in the figurative eyes.

"I promise," he said sincerely. "I trust you." Advena relaxed visibly, tense muscles loosening and allowing her to sink into her seat. And Jake felt relief, not only his, but Advena's too. "Why don't you wait here for a few minutes and finish your food? I want to talk to Jeica for a minute."

" _That's Lieutenant Colonel to you, Corporal,_ " Advena corrected him with a timid chuckle. Jake rubbed her cheek affectionately as he stood to leave, earning himself a croon of appreciation.

"That it is, 'Vena. That it is."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Jake was surprised to see Tyler in his usual spot as he walked into the small control room, thinking the scientist would have at least taken a day off. He felt Advena tense up behind him as her gaze fell upon the young man, or more specifically the now-unhidden bruises and cuts which decorated his exposed skin in blotches. Without his scarves or sunglasses, the injuries were plainly distinguishable, and made Jake wince as he took a seat nearby.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeica Smith was seated on the opposite side of Tyler's chair, drumming her fingers upon the control console idly as she watched her recruits enter the room. Advena placed herself on her haunches in an attempt to mimic the others, seeing as how her posterior was unable to fit on the small office chairs comfortably. All was silent for a moment, until Jake finally decided to speak up.

"Tyler… should you… be on active duty so soon?" Tyler just shrugged with a tired smile.

"I've been working like this for weeks, Jake. The only difference is that you're aware of it now." Jake chewed his lip awkwardly. Right, that was a fairly obvious answer. "Besides, without me here, you'd need Director Lenex himself to come in for today's session, what with your 'special request' and all."

Advena's tail began swishing from side to side in agitation as she glanced from human to human. The tension was thick in the air, and there was clearly something she needed to be let in on. Tyler was fiddling with his watch nervously, and Jeica kept thumbing her sidearm as if expecting trouble to break out in the near future. It was unnerving, and she wanted to know what was going on, _now_. But before she could speak up, Jake motioned her forwards and knelt down to her level.

"Today, Advena, we're going to be doing something special. You've proven yourself cooperative, and willing to trust us, so it's time we gave you a gesture in return," he explained, placing his hands on her shoulders, close to the base of her neck. He turned to nod at Tyler, who stiffly keyed something into his wrist-mounted device. A soft _click_ sounded near Advena's ear, and she instinctively turned to face it. Then she felt Jake's hands brush against her neck, and a weight was lifted from her. In her human's hands was her collar.

Now it made sense. Now she knew why Tyler kept glancing at the alarm switch, and why Jeica kept her hand centimetres away from her weapon's grip. Jake however, was merely staring at her, eyebrow cocked as he waited patiently for her next move. As she rubbed her itchy neck dumbly, it dawned on her that this was a test, and whatever came next was how people would perceive her. Up until now, Jake, Tyler, Jeica and Lenex had been controlling her, dictating her actions while she complacently obeyed, but now she was free. Everything she did was on her.

So Advena quietly pushed herself onto all fours, and prowled slowly around the room, stopping at the feet of Tyler. She had to stretch a little, as Tyler was quite a tall and lanky individual, but she managed to press her head into his chest and nuzzle him gently, before dropping back down and circling towards Jeica. She bowed her head in respect for the grizzled warrior, before butting her head against Jeica's knee lightly. It would have worked better if it had been head to head, as was customary, but Advena felt it would be wise not to bring herself to full height at this moment in time.

Finally, she finished up in front of Jake. She stalked her way around behind him, then thrusted her head up under his arm, before resting her head on his thigh placidly. There. Tyler had gotten a hatchling's embrace, Jeica the warrior's salute, and Jake… well, he didn't need to know what kind of gesture he'd gotten.

"I don't know what that was all about, but I assume that's Advena's way of saying she's staying friendly," Jeica speculated, receiving an affirming nod from the Xeno.

"See, everything's fine. It's all about trust," Jake announced happily. He was standing now, his back towards the deadly midnight black creature. This was the part where Advena struck, tearing into his exposed back, pouncing off his body and slitting Jeica's throat with ease, all while watching the light die from Tyler's eyes as her tail was yanked out of his chest. Then, with her intelligence, it would be a simple matter to unlock the door, sprint over to her brethren, free them, then take over the station.

Or at least, that would've been a really great plot twist in a movie or something. But Advena didn't make a move; she sat happily on her haunches, observing the humans as they decided what to do next. No, this was the part where Jacob Harlor had to accept the reality of the situation. There was no way even the smallest, most sceptical part of his brain could deny Advena's loyalties now. He had tested her, and she had proven she could be trusted.

"Welp," Tyler said, standing from his chair and clapping his hands together. "I'm gonna go get a taco and talk to the director. Anyone want me to bring something back?"

"Coffee," Jeica answered, full-on lounging atop the control console now. Tyler nodded and quietly slipped out of the small room, leaving Jeica to smirk when she caught Jake's confused expression. "Officially speaking, Tyler shouldn't be working until he takes a psychiatric evaluation, so this session is kinda off the books. Feel free to screw around while I wait for my coffee."

Advena suddenly leapt up onto her feet, prancing around in small circles.

" _Ooh! Ooh! I've got it! You got any sniper rifles around here?_ " Jake relayed her question to Jeica, who merely paced over to the other side of the room and rolled open a small metal panel, revealing a tiny little closet in the wall, complete with a miniature weapon rack.

"These ones only fire paint rounds, but you'll have to make do," she explained as she handed a stocky rifle to Advena, "because I cannot be bothered going to the armoury and signing a gun out."

Jake grabbed a Pulse Rifle replica from the rack, deciding he might as well get some training in too, but was given pause when he spotted Advena. She slid with her back almost against the wall (she had to press herself on a slight angle because of her back spines), gun hugged tightly to her chest, as if sneaking up on the target. The red-and-white-striped circle was completely oblivious to her presence; what a master of stealth. Then she leapt out of the shadows, spinning in a graceful full circle, firing her weapon the second her feet were planted firmly on the ground.

The pellet flew wide and hit the wall, adorning it with a colourful yellow splatter.

"You know, it might help if you aimed," Jake pointed out cheekily.

" _That would defeat the purpose of a noscope, Jake,_ " Advena huffed.

"A _what_?" the soldier spluttered indignantly.

" _A noscope. People get really mad when you hit them without aiming, because it means you're either incredibly skilled, or incredibly lucky. Though, most non-noscopers tell themselves it's the latter so they don't have to feel bad about being a noob._ "

"'Vena, in real life people will _die_ when you hit them, no matter if you're aiming or not." Advena frowned, tilting her head slightly to the side in thought. Jake only had time to narrow his eyes before something hard _smacked_ into his hip, stinging him through his armour. "Ow!" he yelped. Advena snickered, lowering the rifle she had been toting with one hand, something she knew aggravated Jake.

" _You don't look dead to me,_ " Advena giggled. _"Get noscoped._ "

"Oh, it's _on_!" Jake growled, hefting up his own paintball gun. He flipped down his helmet's visor to protect his eyes and levelled his gun, rolling across the floor so he could take cover behind a target. Advena chuckled and leapt onto the roof, skittering across its surface to get above Jake. The human saw this move coming however, and sprayed her with stinging pellets of paint. Advena fell from the roof in fright, not expecting the tiny pellets to sting like that. She glanced through the small window into the control room, and caught Jeica failing to cover an amused grin as she watched them. Advena growled, not one to be the laughing stock of others. She readjusted her grip on her rifle and charged towards Jake's position.

She slid past his cover and fired blindly at the spot she expected him to be, but her paint pellet whizzed through empty air. Jake had switched positions. Three pellets hit her shoulder blade, and she whirled to where Jake was laughing at her on the other side of the room. "C'mon 'Vena; you gotta think _tactical_ ," he teased. Advena lined up her sights and fired off another pellet, barely missing Jake as he skipped aside childishly. "What happened to nosco – oof!" Jake was thrown off his feet and winded when his chest caught a tight spread of paint-filled pellets. Jeica laughed as he slowly picked himself up off the ground, resting her shotgun on her shoulder as she leaned on the doorway.

"Aw, come on Jake! What happened to thinking tactical? _Always_ check your surroundings for reinforcements." Advena scampered over, flashing a victorious smile at Jake, who was rubbing his probably-bruised chest grumpily.

"Ugh, you guys are cheaters," he complained. Jeica held out her fist, and Advena hesitated for a moment, before offering her own and bumping them together softly. Then they all froze when the door swished open and heavy, booted steps echoed through the room. Slowly, all three soldiers turned to face the newcomer, each internally flinching when they found themselves facing General Glover, the sharp-toothed, green-eyed, hulk of a man. And he did not look happy, especially when he ran a critical eye over Advena, who looked like a Picasso painting, Jake, who had a massive rainbow splotched across his chest, and Jeica, who quickly attempted to subtly hide her shotgun.

"First, nobody tells me that some idiots are letting a _dangerous animal_ loose on this station," he boomed, "and then when I _finally_ get someone to tell me where I can find you guys, because _somebody_ left this session off the records, you three are all frolicking around and _playing_ with military equipment. Well? Care to explain anyone? Or should I ask the alien?"

"What we do with our downtime is of no concern to you, _Sir_ ," Jeica snapped disgustedly. She clearly despised the fact this man was her superior officer. "And Mister Doelle filled out all the necessary paperwork authorising the release of the Xeno _and_ use of this equipment. So honestly, I don't see what the problem here is." Glover spluttered indignantly, doing a double-take before marching towards the trio.

"Why you little – how dare you use that tone with me you insolent –" Then he was cut off when a pellet thunked into his shoulder, splattering his uniform with a grassy green. Nobody moved, bar Advena, who carefully lowered her rifle, hissing defiantly. Almost calmly, Glover clutched his sidearm, and made to draw it, only to be stopped by Tyler's voice.

"Beat it Glover," the young man ordered, appearing in the doorway with a paper-wrapped taco in one hand, and a paper cup filled with steaming coffee in the other.

"But Tyler –"

"I said out. You're interrupting my project. Interruptions mean loss of time, and therefore money. Loss of money makes Lenex unhappy. And you _know_ what happens when Lenex gets unhappy." Jake's eyes widened slightly as the tension grew thicker, Glover's fists clenching and unclenching in anger. However, he managed to contort his face into a polite smile and tip his hat at the scientist.

"Of course," he grated out, "as you were." Everyone watched him leave in stunned silence, only daring to breathe once the door had safely clicked shut behind him.

"Asshole," Tyler muttered, setting the cup down and flopping onto his chair. Nobody said anything, the only noise being the quiet crunches as Tyler ate his taco, blissfully unaware of how shaken the other occupants of the room were. All eyes turned to him, making him glance up from his screen long enough to glare at them questioningly. He glanced down at his half-eaten taco, then back to his friends. "What? I _did_ ask if you guys wanted anything."

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Day)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake and Advena's conversation ceased suddenly as they stepped into the mess hall, intending to grab some breakfast. A commotion around one of the tables had a congestion of staff packed tightly together, all trying to peer over the top of one another to catch a glimpse of whatever spectacle lay beyond.

"What the hell…?" Jake muttered to himself, stretching onto his tippy-toes in order to get a better view over the sea of heads. A marine was sitting on her rump near the edge of the ring which the crowd formed, nose bloodied and eyes clouded with shock. A few metres away from her, two other marines circled one another, fists raised as they prepared to fight. Jake startled when he recognised all three figures: Corporal Tara Piotra was the dazed marine on the floor, Lieutenant Colonel Jeica Smith and General Glover were the two combatants.

Jake pushed his way to the front of the crowd – people gladly gave him plenty of room when they caught sight of Advena – and stopped where he could get a clear view of the situation, and hear what was being exchanged.

"Now stand down you big son of a bitch; I'd hate to have to kick my CO's ass," Jeica spat. Glover chuckled throatily, sweeping his hat off his head and dropping it to the floor, before resuming his fighting stance leisurely.

"You really think you can take me on babe?" he teased, winking playfully.

"Stop calling me that. We've been broken up for years now. Get over it."

"Well, I was trying to, before you showed up. I know you just can't stand to see me with another woman."

"Socking someone in the face on your first date. Real fucking romantic Glover." Glover just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, she _was_ playing hard to get," he snickered.

" _Why isn't anyone stopping this?_ " Advena demanded. Jake whipped his head down to face her. She was crouched down low to the floor, bristling with barely-contained contempt.

"They're waiting to see if a fight will break out," Jake whispered, flicking his eyes back over to the scene.

" _Why?_ " Jake paused before answering, not fully comfortable with the answer he was going to give. Advena proved to be very headstrong and rash if not handled correctly, and he didn't know if the circumstances would provoke one of those poor decisions from her.

"So they can watch."

Advena growled audibly. Yep, definitely the incorrect answer in her books.

"Why don't we settle this over an impromptu sparring match then?" Glover suggested, nice and loudly so their audience could hear. "A good ol' hand-to-hand. If I win, you and I will have a nice _romantic_ date, just like old times. If you win, I'll just walk on home and spend another night alone. What say you?" He held out his hand for Jeica, who eyed him suspiciously. She gingerly offered her hand, and they shook, sealing the deal.

"See? No harm here," Jake assured his alien friend. "Just a little play-fight; a challenge of combat skill." The gnawing feeling in his stomach said otherwise however. Advena didn't need their telepathic link to tell he was uneasy; all she had to do was look up at his worried face and the way he was biting his lower lip nervously. That and the fact the atmosphere was tense, despite the cheering onlookers and the bets being placed.

"Fight!" someone yelled, initiating the brawl. Glover lunged at Jeica, who was prepared but ignorant of her opponent's strength. She stood her ground and tried to use Glover's momentum to throw him over her shoulder, but his hulking form just smashed into her like a locomotive, sending her tumbling onto the ground. With a grunt of pain, she hauled herself back onto her feet, glaring at Glover as he danced back out of range, allowing her to recover. He was toying with her. Jeica spat on the floor.

She would make him regret his little game. She tackled him around the waist, ducking away from his swinging fist, then side-stepping his next strike, before closing in for an uppercut to his chiselled jaw. She immediately rolled past him, avoiding his meaty fists and kicking him in the back, using her lean form's agility to her advantage. Jake had to admit, it was breathtaking seeing such hardened professionals having at one another.

Glover spun around and caught Jeica's next strike, twisting her arm uncomfortably and stepping forward to make the final blow. Jeica used her free hand to grab his shoulder and flip herself over his head in an awe-inspiring display of agility, wrenching her arm out of his grip and landing behind his back again. Glover was wised to her tactics however, and was prepared to catch her next blow. Or so he thought. Jeica was in fact dancing in front of him, so when he turned in confusion, expecting to find her attacking his exposed back, she was once again in his blind spots. She jabbed him in the neck, shoulders and back with swift, accurate strikes that had Glover snarling in annoyance.

He was spinning in continuous circles, always lagging a second behind Jeica, who was landing blow after blow as she made circles around him. Finally, Glover growled furiously and launched himself into a momentous spin, arm outstretched. Jeica was unprepared for the brutish move, and Glover's arm struck the side of her head in a clothesline manoeuvre. She was thrown to the ground once more, but this time Glover was enraged. He descended upon her downed form and began laying into her, pounding her with his strong fists while she tried to squirm away, deflect his blows or otherwise do anything to give her a chance. But Glover's brute strength won out, leaving her with no choice but to yell:

"Yield! I yield!" Glover's face twisted into an ugly grin, razor sharp teeth gleaming in the artificial light. He slowly clambered off of her, relishing his victory with a few muscle flexes. As soon as Jeica managed to pick herself up however, he grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her down onto a table.

"And now for my prize…" he purred huskily. The spectators' whoops, cheers and groans of disappointment were abruptly cut off to be replaced by glances being exchanged in confusion. Confusion quickly turned to horror when Glover ripped off Jeica's chestplate and tossed it across the floor, eyes mad with lust.

"Jesus Christ! Someone stop him!" wailed an anonymous onlooker. Jake was already stepping forward and putting a hand on Glover's shoulder.

"Hey!" he barked. "Get the hell off of –" Nothing in his life could be compared to the blow which struck all air from his lungs. Jake imagined that what he was experiencing is what it feels like to have a truck crash into your stomach. Pain shot up his back as he hit the wall. The room was spinning, and stars blurred his vision.

He was faintly aware of two marines charging the crazed man, only to be thrown into a group of bystanders by a single sweeping blow. The few others that attempted to stop Glover were immediately tossed aside as if they were nothing while the rest quickly made room and watched, breath-taken, from a safe distance. Nobody could believe their eyes; a high-ranking officer – one of their leaders – was about to have his way with a Lieutenant Colonel, and there was nothing anybody could do to stop him.

Then an enraged hiss split the silence. Glover dropped Jeica's boot as he was bowled over by a monstrous black form.

"You!" Glover roared. "You abomination! I'll destroy you!" Advena screeched shrilly, causing more than a few ears to be covered in pain, as she was tossed across the room, digging her claws into the ground to slow her to a halt ten metres away from where she'd started. With another war cry, she sprinted back at her target, who was awaiting her in a battle-ready crouch. They clashed, with Glover gripping Advena by the waist and attempting to throw her down in a wrestling-like move while she raked her claws down his face.

Glover screamed and threw Advena away, flailing blindly as blood washed down his face. He swiped the crimson liquid out of his eyes and bared his teeth at the offending alien. Advena returned the gesture, screeching again as she pounced onto the roof and ran in for the kill. Glover tensed his legs and lowered himself slightly, waiting for his window. When Advena was directly above him and seconds away from striking, he launched himself directly upwards, fist outstretched. He pummelled Advena into the roof above, emitting a sickening _crunch_.

Advena flopped onto the floor, panting heavily as Glover stalked closer. He snatched Advena up by the neck and held her off the floor in a terrifying display of his enormous strength. Advena clutched at his restricting hands as his grip tightened and cut off her air flow. Then her face twisted into a ferocious grin and she reached behind herself. Glover's eyes widened seconds before he was bashed across the jaw with one of Advena's own back spines. He screamed in pain as acid ate away at his face, and he raised a single open palm as if he could stop her in her tracks. She merely threw him another vicious grin and tossed aside her own dismembered spine.

She flew at him, claws extended and tail whipping towards his heart. Its bladed tip pierced his still-beating organ while she tore into his face, only to be thrown off onto the floor next to him. It was Glover's turn to grin like a madman, seizing Advena's hand, he placed it over his right breast, and Advena shook her head. As much as she wished she could deny it, she felt a heartbeat. Glover had two hearts. What the hell kind of human has two hearts? As the dizzying realisation stilled her mind, Glover took advantage of her stunned form and threw her into the wall.

Advena groggily pulled herself back onto her feet, and just as she made it onto all fours, Glover grabbed her head and slammed it into the wall repeatedly. She meekly swiped her claws at him, but her blows were cast aside and her tail was immediately pinned beneath one of Glover's booted feet.

 _Crack crack crack!_ Three gunshots in quick succession. Advena watched as Glover's body was wrenched from side to side from the force of the blows, before he rasped pitifully, then collapsed onto the floor in a spreading pool of his own blood.

Advena lifted her head weakly, catching sight of Jake throwing his pistol aside and rushing over to her. She smiled a small, happy smile at the mortified expression he held. He really cared about her… Then her body fell limp and darkness overtook her.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Tyler stopped dead in his tracks. Jake and Advena were waiting for him when he stepped out of the small, private office, but alarm bells rang in his head immediately. Jake flashed him a tired smile, which was a little concerning seeing as he looked bedraggled and exhausted, but Advena… Advena was missing all of the spiny protrusions which used to line her back.

"Wh-what the hell happened?" he stammered.

"Glover," Jake sighed, running a tired hand through his hair. "He uh, tried to rape Jeica, Tyler. Advena fought him, but she was crushed against the roof during the fight and, well, snapped them all clean off."

"Fuck!" Tyler cursed. "Fuck fuck fuck! I leave for _one_ day and… and…" he grimaced, too shaken to finish his sentence. "Where is Glover now?"

"Dead, Tyler. I shot him."

" _Shit!_ If I had been there… I could have stopped him. I could have stopped him…" Tyler closed his eyes and let out a long breath in a steady whoosh. Jake placed a reassuring hand on the scientist's shoulder.

"Believe me, people tried – including me – but he just swatted them aside like they were flies." Tyler shook his head insistently.

"It's different with me," he explained. "I was the one who saved him from… 'termination'. He was an experiment; brought back to life as a killing machine, infused with the biology of a Xenomorph. It didn't work properly. He was too wild and uncontrollable. I had his kill switch, so he had to listen to me or he'd die. But I was here taking this useless fucking psycho test."

"How did that go anyway?" Jake inquired as they made their way out of the hospital wing. Out of concern as well as desire to change the topic; he'd really prefer to forget that fight as soon as possible. Seeing two of his closest friends cowering on the floor, beaten to a pulp, was not a welcome sight, and he hoped never to see it again in his lifetime.

"I'm crazy!" Tyler announced with mock enthusiasm. "Got dissociative identity disorder or some crap. It's what they call it when you have more than one person in your head. My other side only comes out when I want – or need – him to though, so the Doc's cleared me for work, as long as I check in with her at the end of every week."

"Shit," Jake breathed, releasing a low whistle, "that's pretty heavy. So… what's that feel like? Having two people in your head? Do you hear voices all the time or…?" Tyler sighed as he searched for the words.

"Well, it's not really different from normal people I guess. We only actually interact during my dreams, and sometimes he'll take over my body. When that happens, it's like I'm in some inactive corner of my mind; I can't see anything, but I feel strong, and safe, and comfortable. I can't feel what's happening to my body, and all I can hear is strange sounds that I guess are representations of my organs? Like a constant humming of my blood rushing through my veins, clatters and clangs of… whatever makes clatters and clangs. It's like my body is a spaceship, and I can hear all the parts working."

"So when 'He' takes over, you become the passenger, and He becomes the pilot?" Jake asked curiously, continuing on with Tyler's analogy. The young man nodded with a grateful smile.

"Yeah, just like that."

" _So this is… normal for humans?_ " Advena questioned her human companion. Jake grimaced as he glanced between her and Tyler awkwardly.

"Well, it's not exactly _normal_ …" he began, eying Tyler nervously, not wanting to upset him. "But it's not unheard of. There's nothing wrong with him – he's the same Tyler we've always known."

"Don't listen to him Advena," Tyler sighed. "I hear the voices of people who don't exist and lose control of my own body. Of course there's something fucking wrong with me. But Sal is the only good thing that's happened to me since I was rescued from the Insurrectionists three years ago."

"Sal," Jake repeated, quickly focusing on that rather than continuing their current conversation. "That's his name?"

"Yeah, short for Salvator," Tyler confirmed. They descended into an awkward silence soon after; Jake didn't want to strike another sensitive topic, Tyler was still internally berating himself for not being able to stop Glover, and Advena was mulling over this whole 'mental disorder' business. If there was something wrong with Tyler's brain, that might explain the unusual mental strength the young human had. It still bugged her how familiar this all seemed, but Jake had already assured her that this was something that happened from time to time, so she decided she shouldn't worry about it.

The trio eventually arrived in Director Lenex's lavish lobby area, the familiar bubbling of the water fountain and pleasant hues of green calming their nerves. Jake couldn't help the small smirk which graced his lips when he spotted Jeica nearby, bent down to smell the flowers. She perked up when she caught sight of her friends and immediately beamed them an enormous smile. She caught Jake off-guard by flinging her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you," she murmured. She then shocked everyone by turning to Advena and curtly embracing her also. "And you. I'll never forget the way you fought for me… thank you." Jake felt a chuckle bubble forth, confusing himself when he was overwhelmed by a feeling of immense pride and joy at the praise. He even felt himself blush a little, and his eyes immediately snapped over to Advena, who was shuffling her feet modestly. It didn't take him long to figure out the emotions he was feeling weren't his.

"Whoa…" he muttered, "this is… weird."

" _Heh, sorry…_ " Advena gushed, " _Guess I got a little excited there._ " Their reunion was abruptly interrupted by the soft _swish_ of a well-maintained door sliding open, and out stepped Director Lenex to address them. Jake and Jeica steeled themselves, the former gulping nervously, and the latter growing uneasy at the distinct lack of secretary. Lenex wanted to speak with them alone, it would seem. Advena suddenly stiffened as she felt the apprehension dripping from her human's mind. Suddenly she had a very bad feeling about this…

Then Lenex clapped his hands, shaking his head with a broad smile and low whistle.

"Hot damn!" he exclaimed. "Colour me impressed, Jacob. You and Advena got the upper hand over _General Glover_ of all people." Jake blinked in confusion and quickly exchanged a worried look with Jeica. "What are you all looking so glum for?" Lenex demanded good-naturedly. "This is a major breakthrough! You two are making quite the formidable team; I think you're ready for your final test."

Even Advena looked nervous at this, and she immediately looked up to Jake for guidance. The corporal grimaced and raised an eyebrow.

"Sir?" was all he could muster.

"I'm sure Tyler has already informed you the Corporation was going to terminate Glover anyway – he wasn't even human anymore, trust me. He was broken; an animal with a few party tricks. And in his absence, Lieutenant Colonel Smith, it falls to you to take his place as this station's third General."

"Division?" Jeica managed to blurt out, attempting to regain her composure after the imrpomtpu promotion. Lenex was excited at these new events; so much so he was moving too fast and leaving his poor, confused employees in the dust.

"You'll be working the Ground Troop Division," Lenex answered, "General Corey is in charge of Air and Space Division, and General Tso is in charge of Special Ops. Go, you should probably get to know them in Conference Room One; you'll be working with them quite closely after all." Jeica nodded, saluted, and took her leave. "As for you two, I imagine some well-deserved rest is in order. Congratulations Sergeant Harlor, your final test begins tomorrow at sixteen-hundred hours. Prepare yourself."

" _Well, I think that went rather well,_ " Advena remarked after they'd bid their boss a polite farewell and strode out into the sparse corridors beyond. " _Being congratulated on killing someone is a first._ "

"Isn't killing in itself a first for you?" Jake asked curiously, shooting a quick glance at the alien sauntering along beside him. He liked how she always padded around on all fours – it made her seem less threatening, and kind of cute in a loyal dog kinda way. Not that Jake would dare compare her to such a domesticated pet.

" _Pfft, no,_ " Advena scoffed, _"what on Earth gave you that idea?_ "

"Well, I mean, you were only born a few months back, and I've been with you pretty much the whole time. This is the first time you've ever fought someone, as far as I know."

" _Oh_ ," Advena realised, losing her sassy tone. _"Oh. You don't know how… well, of course you wouldn't. Uh, I'm not a few months old, Jacob. I'm… what, twenty-six? I think that's it – I don't really keep count. You see, when Xenomorphs die, sometimes they can be saved. We encase ourselves with resin and special royal jelly, courtesy of our Queen. Our bodies dissolve, leaving only our mind within the resulting egg which is formed within our carcass. From that egg, our mind is put into a Facehugger, where we will implant ourselves in a new host and, basically, 'respawn'. I've died twice already, and the second time I got implanted in you. You're the first to survive my birth, however._ "

"Wow, that's… scary. And kinda cool, actually. So you're basically immortal?"

" _No no no, far from it_ ," Advena corrected him. " _If we receive damage to our brain, or if our body dies before we can be cocooned into an egg, we can't be saved. You barely ever see a dying Xenomorph become reborn; more commonly, critically injured Xenomorphs who are, say, missing limbs, will replace their body to become at full strength once more._ " The duo finally arrived at the door to their room and, once inside, collapsed onto the couch together.

Advena snaked her way around Jake's back, forcing him to lean on her like an oversized cushion or get shoved off the couch. She then proceeded to curl herself up and place her head in his lap, sighing contentedly when she felt his fingers brush over her carapace. It had been a rough day, so for once Jake didn't lodge any complaints about her inappropriate behaviour, instead opting to lay back and enjoy the soft couch and rhythmic rise and fall of his alien companion's chest. They soon drifted asleep on the couch, something Advena would berate herself about later, even though she knew she enjoyed the proximity. The nest may be safer, but it was worth being out in the open for things like this.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Jake and Advena woke up bright and early, grabbed a small breakfast, then headed out for the gym. Most of the station's patrons weren't even awake yet, but the duo had a big day coming up, and they wanted to do it right, so they decided to get a bit of extra practice in.

" _Try again_ ," Advena advised relentlessly. Jake screwed his eyes shut, despite the fact they were still walking, and evened out his breathing, concentrating. After a few seconds, he let out the breath he was holding and peeked at Advena expectantly. " _Nope. You're trying too hard. Let it flow naturally, as a conversation should._ "

"Ugh," Jake groaned, throwing his hands into the air in frustration. "This is pointless. First I'm not concentrating enough, and now I'm concentrating too hard. Which is it?"

" _Don't be so pigheaded,_ " the Xenomorph scolded him with a reprimanding smack on the back with her tail. " _You need to find balance. All mental abilities rely on a disciplined mind and a strong relationship with your Bonded. You have one of the two._ "

"Oh yeah?" Jake asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, "And which one might that be?"

" _Neither if you keep this up_." Jake placed a hand over his chest and wore a face of mock-hurt.

"Advena, are you breaking up with me?" he gasped. Advena swatted him with her tail again, but the grin on her face spoiled her little act.

" _Well, we'd have to be dating for that to happen. You game?_ "

"What, a sleek, muscly killing machine like you? How could I resist – is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?" Jake fanned himself with his hand, a cheeky grin plastered to his face. Advena rolled her figurative eyes and huffed at his childish display. Jake's smile dropped however, when he felt Advena's joy die down a little. She even seemed a little… hurt.

" _You know, you keep calling me that. A killing machine. Is it really that hard to see me as anything different?_ " They both suddenly stopped walking, right outside the door which led into the gym. Advena sat patiently on her haunches while Jake crouched down to her level. Jake gazed right into her eyeless face, doing his best impression of eye contact for sincerity.

"Of course not," he cooed to her. "But, that is what your species is, after all. When you're born, you kill us, when you grow up, you kill us, when you die, you kill us. I know _you're_ better than that I suppose… but I can't help it. When us humans look at you, we see the same creature that's killed our friends, our families and our fellow humans."

" _I suppose you're right…_ " Advena admitted. _"But maybe you ought to hear our side of the story too. You see, long ago, we used to live in a symbiotic relationship. There were creatures… I cannot remember their faces, but they could survive the hatching process. They were_ built _for it. They had incredible mental strength, and worked closely with their Bonded Xenomorphs in a multi-special culture. We were perfect together; the Xenomorphs were strong and fast, for defending homes and hunting food. The Others gave birth to us, used science to advance us, and acted as our closest friends – families even._ "

Advena paused and shuffled her feet sadly. " _But of course, it didn't last forever. A bigger, stronger alien species found our homeworld. They destroyed the Others because they were such pacifistic creatures; they left all the fighting to us. The Xenomorphs fought back with everything they had, and downed several of the physically-superior beings. As such, we were kept alive and transported back to their labs to be weaponised. We can't remember anything from the time between, but it must have been a century or two later when they succeeded. Eventually, a ship carrying our eggs crashed, and thus began the next chapter in our lives. We spread far and wide through alien ships, unable to stop the fact that we kill when we breed. We were so confused when our Bonded would die upon our birth, and then we were hunted. With no way to communicate, humans thought we were mere monsters and thus began their campaign against us, hunting us like all the others. We had to defend ourselves. And now, here we are…_ "

"You… remember all of that?" Jake asked incredulously. Advena nodded miserably.

" _Most of the earlier stuff is hazy, but what I can't remember, I can remember memories about stories about memories._ "

"But, you said you were only in your twenties! How could you possibly remember something from hundreds of years ago?"

" _Genetic memory,_ " Advena explained simply. " _Hives communicate with their denizens through telepathy; this includes the transferral of memories – something you and I can do as a Bonded Pair._ "

"Wow…" Jake breathed, running a hand through his hair as he soaked that all in. "So, when do we learn to do that?"

" _Heh, let's just try to master speaking telepathically first,_ " Advena chuckled. They both jumped in fright when the door between them swished open. They'd been so lost in their conversation that they'd forgotten where they were. They were even more surprised when Tyler stepped out and startled at the sight of them.

"Oh, hey Tyler. I, uh, didn't know you work out…" Jake commented awkwardly.

"He doethn't," Tyler replied hesitantly, his voice raspy and lisp-ridden. Jake bit his lip, and he felt his heart flutter uncertainly. It was so strange seeing the man he'd come to know and befriend like this. He was seeing Tyler, but he knew that he wasn't speaking to the man.

"Sal?" he asked cautiously, slowly. He felt Advena's gaze boring into him, probably curious as to why he was having such difficulty handling the situation.

"You are familiar with my name…" Sal observed, blinking slowly with Tyler's youthful eyes. "I take it Tyler hath spoken of me. Judging by the Xenomorph by your side, you must be Jake and Advena; Tyler hath spoken well of you two."

"That's right," Jake confirmed. "Uh, so what's the occasion? What happened to Tyler?" Sal stared at him for a couple of seconds, processing the question and piecing together an answer at an excruciatingly slow pace.

"Tyler ith sleeping right now… I felt he deserved the rest. In the meantime, I wish to build up his body's strength so he and I may defend thith body when the need arises. The last fight we got into was… unsatisfactory. No stamina, inefficient force and not nearly enough agility. We are lucky our enemy was dull."

"So, uh, can we talk to Tyler please?" Sal sighed, before nodding peevishly and slipping an arm around Advena's shoulders with a distasteful expression.

"You may. I wath heading back to hith room anyway. Allow me a moment to wake him up." Sal's eyes slid shut, and his body slumped against Advena limply, and mere seconds later his eyelids were fluttering back open, blinking blearily. He took his weight off Advena's shoulder and glanced around himself in confusion.

"How did I…?" he asked dumbly.

"Is Sal… allowed to do that?" Jake inquired, looking incredibly worried. He really hoped Tyler's condition wasn't worsening. Tyler took a couple more seconds to get his bearings before answering.

"Er, I mean, I guess so. He's doing me a favour after all… I think."

"That's _so_ comforting," Jake jibed with an eye roll. "This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"

"N-no! Of course not! Sal would never do anything to hurt me! I'll talk to him tonight – try to get him to communicate a bit better or something. I mean, I'm fine with him doing stuff in my body for a bit, but it would be nice to tell me first." Tyler frowned for a bit, scratching his chin while he thought. "Anyway, you guys probably have some training to squeeze in before your test, so I'll leave you to it. See you in a few hours."

"Yeah, seeya." Advena and Jake watched him leave, before the human shrugged and took a deep breath. "Right, you and I have a lot of stuff to go over before the big test."

" _Hooray,_ " Advena mumbled sarcastically.


	7. Chapter 7: I'll Try Anything Once

Jake adjusted his helmet and glanced around himself nervously. The small metal box held a dozen marines, including himself and Advena, all dressed in armour and clutching stun weapons. Even his Xenomorph companion had some steel plates strapped to her body rather awkwardly – it was the best the labs could come up with on such short notice, but it was rather effective. Jake was particularly in awe of her headpiece, which left the sides open, but the front was protected by a flowing crest of welded steel and a small horn curving out the front above her deadly jaws. Her lack of spines made the torso an easier job, seeing as she only required a slightly larger than normal chestplate, but her awkwardly-shaped legs meant custom builds.

"Remember, _no_ claws. Absolutely none. These are real people, and your natural weapons are far too dangerous," Jake instructed her. Advena huffed indignantly, as this was the seventh time he had gone over that in the past ten minutes. An intrusive _beep_ sounded, signalling they had thirty seconds left until the doors opened. This simulation was special; instead of a group of humans being pitted against waves of androids, it was two groups of humans fighting to complete their objective.

Jake found himself in charge of red team, and he took a deep breath, before verbalising his battle plan. "Okay, these guys are experienced, which means we have to stick together if we want any chance of winning. They're probably going to expect us to go after the most obvious tactic and split up our troops – half on defence, and half on offense. We're not going to do that. I want you guys to take up positions defending our flag, while Advena and I sneak over to capture theirs. Keep comm chatter to a minimum, but keep each other updated. Clear?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" his marines cried, giving a salute each. The five second countdown began, each tick enunciated with a short tone from the speakers, rising in pitch as the digits grew closer to zero. Jake quickly helped flick the small glass panes which acted as Advena's visor over her face, then flashed the thumbs up and steeled himself for the upcoming fight.

"Simulation start," Tyler announced over the arena-wide intercom. The door rumbled open, revealing to the twelve marines an enormous dome filled with generic grey concrete buildings and deserted streets. To the immediate left of the box room was a small, squat building with four doorways, each leading into a small inner chamber containing a red flag, fabric hanging limply due to the lack of breeze. Jake motioned for Advena to follow along behind him as he crept his way to the right, aiming to skirt around the edges of the artificial city.

" _Crap, if Tyler's watching this, then Jeica probably is too. A single mistake will be the difference between a 'congratulations' and a good ol' scorning. That chick's gonna make a great mom one day…_ "

" _Aww, that's so cute~!_ " Advena giggled, startling Jake from his thoughts. " _You broadcast your thoughts when you're nervous_."

" _Wait! Wait! I'm doing it?_ "

" _You sure are. This'll give us a tactical advantage, right?_ "

" _Silent communication? I don't see how that_ couldn't _give us an edge. Alright, coordination is key. We can call each other out targets, announce our intentions and use flanking manoeuvres efficiently._ "

" _Oho, you just wait. Once we're connected like this, and in the zone, you'll be amazed._ " Jake didn't quite know what to make of that, but Advena was radiating excitement. He could feel nerves too; she was giddy with the knowledge that their Bonding process was nearing completion, but still had her doubts about her own capabilities. This was her first time linking to another being, after all.

" _Okay, I see the enemy flag building up ahead. Three guards in the main building, probably a sniper or two around. There will be flankers in the outlying building, no doubt. And if these guys are playing defensively, the entire team will be hidden away somewhere. Stay frosty – your senses are keener than mine, so input would be appreciated._ "

" _Yessir, I think you're going to enjoy this._ " Jake made to scold Advena, but was given pause when he came face-to-face with her joyful grin and fidgeting hands. Her unbridled enthusiasm would fuel her, giving her already-superior speed and strength a boost. Taking her down a notch and wiping that beautiful smile off her face would be a strategical disadvantage.

That's what he told himself anyway.

" _Alright, let's do this. Three… two… one… go!_ " Jake leapt out of his hiding spot, and felt Advena's presence shift. He stumbled slightly at the new sensations filling his body. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and those of his alien companion's. His senses sharpened, his focus doubled, and he was receiving information without even looking. Advena was running along the wall next to him, and he felt the need to roll and kick his legs up when he felt her disengaging from the concrete surface. Advena jumped off his kicking legs, boosting her into the air and sending her sailing into the flag room, where she shot two of the guards in the back.

Jake shot down the third from his vantage point, sliding into a crouch to steady himself. A flicker of movement caught his eye, behind Advena, and before he could call out to her, she whipped around, tripping the soldier over with her tail and unloading her clip into his torso. Then Jake saw it. The glint of a rifle's scope right in his blind spot. He didn't even know he had shot the offending solider until it was over, his gun still locked into position. He sprung into action again as he felt three bodies pressing against the other side of a nearby building's door, ready to spring an ambush.

He leapt into Advena's arms as the door was kicked open, two stun-grenades rolling out into their position. Then Jake's body landed in Advena's arms, and the Xenomorph swung herself around in a half-circle, releasing Jake once she'd completed her one-eighty. He landed behind the three soldiers, forcing them to divide their attention between him and Advena. Simultaneously, the final four soldiers revealed themselves on a nearby rooftop, scopes coming to eye level.

Jake flipped his weapon so he was holding it by the muzzle and swung it like a bat at one of the soldiers' grenades, which Advena had thrown at him, smacking it into the group on the roof. Meanwhile, the Xenomorph jumped above the second piece of ordinance and took out the three scrambling troops with a single burst from her rifle as both grenades reached the end of their timer and exploded.

Jake was panting. He couldn't believe it. They had taken down seven soldiers in mere seconds. The exhilaration finally wore off, and his perception of time shifted back to normal. Everything had seemed to slow down when he was fighting. What's more, his once-again dull senses had been so sharp, casting the world into surreal detail.

"What… the hell… was that? We were awesome!" Jake exclaimed as Advena stalked back over to him with a broad grin.

"That _was just a taster. As a Bonded pair, we can become so close we are as one. My senses are yours, and yours mine. What we see, feel, plan… it all mixes together. One being. Twice the power. With our minds working together, we can do twice the amount of thinking we would normally be able to in such a small window of time. You know what I'm planning even as I think it up, and react accordingly. I must admit, that really_ was _something else. I've never felt so…_ alive! _I am so, so glad I chose such a strong warrior as my Host._ "

"Now now," Jake chuckled, "you can tell me how awesome I am once we've gotten this flag back to our base." He plucked the blue flag from its little shrine and clipped it to his back, then placed a finger on his helmet. "Team, this is your Sergeant. We've taken down all twelve enemies and retrieved the flag."

"Holy shit, we won? Just like that? You're a bloody legend mate!"

"Hah! So I hear. I'll be over in a minute; sit tight." And so Jake and his alien companion made their way back to red base, ready to deposit the flag and win the simulation. However, they were stopped dead in their tracks when they stepped out onto the broad road which would take them there.

A red soldier, lying motionless on the ground. "Red team, come in. Red team, somebody respond damn it!" Jake's heart fluttered in panic. No reply. He rushed over to the soldier's side, seeing he was still breathing. The tell-tale burn mark of a stun round lay on the man's neck. But… there had been twelve at the blue base. Jake was counting. That meant they'd gotten them all.

Any spectators would have observed Jake's pupil dilating rapidly as he felt the effects of his Bond sink back in. A shift in some nearby rubble littering the street kicked his jumpy reflexes into gear. He crouched down low as showers of rubble rained upwards, blue soldiers bursting out from them, whilst more still popped out of doorways and set themselves up on rooftops.

Two on the roof. Six hanging in doorways. One behind a concrete road barrier. Three had their sights fixed on the duo from just down the street. Twelve. Their team had been outnumbered two to one the entire time. Then Advena was pouncing off his shoulders mantling the lip of the closest rooftop. He sprung into action, rolling behind a wall, narrowly escaping the hail of gunfire.

Advena leapt aside to avoid a sniper shot, promptly before throwing a grenade at the round's origin in rebuttal. The sniper avoided the simulation explosive, but was shot seventeen times in the back once he'd thrown himself to the ground courtesy of a certain Xeno sailing overhead.

Jake felt two soldiers ready to pounce his position from his left, but they were waiting patiently for the soldiers flanking his right to get into position. The latter were about ten metres away from achieving their goal. Improvise time. Jake lashed out, grabbing the muzzle of one of the waiting soldiers' guns without even exposing his head. Through Advena, he could see them clearly. He rammed the butt of the weapon into its owner's face, before flipping it around, stepping out of cover and shooting the two of them. He ducked into the doorway from which they'd come, just in time to avoid the stun rounds which thunked into the wall behind him.

The two right flankers rounded the corner, finding it empty, and Advena dropped behind the three soldiers who had burst from the rubble. They had been slowly advancing down the street, sweeping all the dark alleys for any sign of her, only to be demolished from behind by a volley of stun munition. Jake rolled out of his cover as the remaining two doormen turned to fire upon Advena. Jake was dimly aware of the second sniper having been downed by his alien companion prior to this manoeuvre, so he had nothing to fear from exposing himself like he was. He tossed a grenade into the two opposing doorways, blasting the two soldiers from behind, where their cover would do them no good.

Finally, Jake stepped out next to the wall which he had been hiding behind previously, startling the two right flankers, who recovered quickly and pointed their sights at Jake, fingers milliseconds from pulling the trigger. However, so concentrated were they on firing upon their most immediate threat, they neglected to spot Advena, who had leapt over the small brick wall and struck them with stun rounds while soaring towards them through the air. She landed with a thump, flashing a deadly smile to Jake.

" _That's never going to get old,_ " she huffed. Jake chuckled and agreed silently, doubled over as he puffed out a few calming breaths.

"Let's finish this before those jarheads decide to throw some more surprises our way." Advena nodded her agreement and watched as Jake stalked over to where the red flag hung limply in its little reprieve, the unconscious forms of their teammates scattered around it irregularly. Jake dropped the blue piece of cloth at the flag's base, and immediately a loud, abrupt buzzing tone filled the air. The moody lights overhead snapped to a dim red, whilst the exit doors rumbled open and lit up with bright white strips of light. Advena and Jake shared a look, before trotting to the nearest exit, brushing past the medics carrying stretchers for the unconscious soldiers.

"Well done Jacob! Well done indeed!" Jeica cried, seemingly at a loss for words. "I… I've never seen anything like that before. Such perfect unison… you guys were _made_ for each other."

"I lost my entire team," Jake reminded her with a stern frown. While the second blue team was against protocol, and entirely unexpected, he could tell that was all part of the test. Ambushes happened in real life, and if he were to lead a squad out in the field… well, the simulation told him that he wasn't a very promising leader.

"Jacob," Jeica soothed with a soft smile, "We never planned to make you a squad leader. You and Advena are an elite duo – throwing you in with regulars would probably just hamper you. Tyler wanted to know how you would operate in a team situation however, so we threw in the reds to sate his curiosity."

"So… we did good?" Jeica nodded.

"Damned good. The other Generals are already bickering over where to deploy you, but ultimately I'm the one in charge of that. You are a ground troop, after all."

"You're a Weyland asset first and foremost," a third voice cut in. Jake raised an eyebrow at Tyler as he came to a rest beside Jeica. "Not that the Corporation doesn't own the USCM anyways. Lenex usually approves whatever the Generals decide, but he's keeping an especially close eye on you two, so you're not going anywhere until he gives the go ahead, and he's not making any decisions until he gets a professional's opinion from me. Congratulations, by the way."

"Uh, thanks," Jake mumbled. He was beginning to feel quite uncomfortable around his friend – not only because of the mental disorder, but because of the way his behaviour was changing. He had that air around him, like he did all the way back when he'd pinned Jake against the wall and told him not to trust anybody. He was shifty; conflicted. Tyler suddenly reached up and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Ugh… back in a minute," he excused himself, before quickly darting into the now-deserted control room.

"Does he seem to be acting strange to you?" Jake asked once he was out of hearing range. Jeica nodded grimly.

"Yeah. He's been having lots of headaches, and I've caught him talking to himself when he thinks nobody's looking. He promised to go see the psychologist once we were done here, but he was very reluctant." Jeica looked defeated. Jake rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. She had known Tyler for a very long time and called him a friend much longer than Jake had, so to see him like this must pain her greatly. "Anyway, you two go take some time off. No more hand-holding; you guys are taking over your own training from now on, and you're in charge of your own schedules, so be responsible yeah? Don't relax too much or our most valuable asset will turn into a lazy slob."

"Will do," Jake chuckled. They exchanged goodbyes before he and his Xeno changed out of their armour and wandered back in the general direction of their room.

" _Hey, is this thing on_?" Jake joked in his head. He heard a stuttering hiss from Advena and smiled.

" _I read you loud and clear, Sergeant. Looks like you've finally worked it out.._ "

" _Yeah. This is pretty nice, actually. Kinda relaxing. I never thought telepathy would feel so… natural._ "

" _Your brain has finished making all the connections now; it's really no different from talking verbally once you get the hang of it._ " They walked in silence for a few more minutes, and Advena could spot that something was plaguing Jake's mind. She glanced at him expectantly when he finally cleared his throat and decided to voice his thoughts.

" _So, uh, the link activates during moments of high adrenaline, right?_ "

" _Yes, and extreme emotion, much like every other telepathic ability,_ " Advena replied patiently.

" _Yeah, I thought as much. Uh, just curious here, but… what if… ahem… what if a –_ "

" _Did you just say 'ahem'? Telepathically?_ "

" _Shut up. It's an awkward question. And just to reiterate: it's only curiosity, so don't take it the wrong way._ "

" _Just get on with it you big baby._ "

" _Well, I was just wondering… is that something which happens… if a Xenomorph and their host were to have sex, has it ever happened?_ "

" _What, the link? Yes, actually. It's incredibly common for Xenomorphs and their Hosts to become mates, which oftentimes leads to sexual relations, as you can imagine. Being intertwined this intimately with another's mind and being leads to_ very _strong and tight-knit relationships, thus, most Xenomorphs accommodate this into their plans, and choose a Host they think they are likely to want as a mate. But that's beside the point. More often than not, the minds do link during intercourse, allowing for much more intimate mating – not to mention you get to feel both sides of the action. Though most choose not to do it on their first time, as it could be a bit… overwhelming. It all sounds very tantalising, really._ "

" _So… did you choose me because I was a… potential mate?_ "

" _It was either you or your friend, and I found what little glimpses I had of your personality to be much more desirable. The man who was willing to sacrifice his life for those he cared about, or the man who accidentally shot his own teammate._ "

" _So that's a no?_ "

" _Hey, don't I get to ask any questions?_ " Jake sighed and raised his hands to his chest in surrender.

" _Okay, okay. Shoot._ "

" _Likewise, this is born only from curiosity, but are you planning on courting General Jeica Smith? You seem very fond of her._ "

" _Nah, it would never work. She's my superior officer, and we're both in the military. It's against regulation. Hell, just being friendly with her is probably breaking a couple of rules – compromising the chain of command and all that._ "

" _Do you_ want _to court her? Or rather, would you, given there were no consequences for doing so?_ "

" _Hey, you just asked a question. My turn now. Why do you care?_ "

" _As we just discussed, the feeling of passion which comes with sex, would most likely activate our link if not carefully guarded against. This would make things very awkward for me, if you were getting down and dirty with a girl. With our emotions and bodies so intertwined, I would find myself filled with an uncomfortable amount of hormones._ "

" _Me having sex would make you horny?_ " Jake spluttered, barely containing his laughter.

" _Correct,_ " Advena hissed peevishly, not too fond of his merriment. " _And you keep asking two questions in a row; I feel like this game is unfair towards me._ "

" _Fine, ask away._ "

" _Hmm… I suppose there's no subtle way to ask this. How do you feel about interspecies relationships? More specifically, how would you feel about being in one?_ " Jake abruptly stopped walking for a moment, pausing to stare at Advena, a little taken aback.

" _Advena…_ "

" _I am only asking to avoid possible future awkwardness. As I have mentioned, I will inevitably be drawn to you as my Bonded. I can already feel… feelings… towards you. Your personality, prowess and accepting nature have impressed me thoroughly, so if you don't like the idea of a seven-foot monster having a high school crush on you, speak now or forever hold your peace._ "

"Advena…" Jake whispered aloud, crouching to look her in the eye – metaphorically, of course. She bowed her head to avoid his kindly gaze, but he placed a gentle hand beneath her chin and brought her face right back to his. "You're not a monster, sweetheart. Not to me."

" _Then what_ am _I to you?_ "

"I don't know, 'Vena. I care about you, a lot. How can I not, when I feel everything you feel? I guess you're… somewhere between a friend, and a lover." Advena chuffed softly at his words and pressed her head into his chest gently, wanting some kind of comfort from him, to let her know she hadn't just ruined everything they had built over the past few months. She sighed happily when he felt her human's gentle touch on her carapace. It was a good thing nobody passed them as they stood silently in the middle of the corridor, neither really knowing what to say to defuse the situation.

" _So… you're not okay with a relationship?_ " Jake patted her flanks reassuringly and stood, ready to continue making their way to their room.

"This is a bit too sudden for me, 'Vena." Honestly, Jake hadn't even considered thinking of her in _that_ kind of way. He liked her, sure, and the telepathic link made being with her incredibly easy and infinitely more intimate than any other friendship he'd been in. He wasn't exactly repulsed by the idea, but whether that was because Advena's mentality had been slowly rubbing off on him through their link, or if he'd finally managed to cast aside their differences and see her as an equal, he wasn't sure. In contrast, Advena had had the possibility in the back of her mind ever since they'd first spoken. Her kind _thrived_ on these kinds of relationships, so naturally, she wanted it.

" _That's a no then?_ " she asked sullenly.

"It's a maybe," Jake decided. He was too attached to her and cared about her too much to say no, but the uncertainty was enough to keep him from saying yes. "But this, this can't get in the way of our job, okay? People's lives depend on us."

" _I promise. I will give you plenty of space to think about it, and ensure our combat effectiveness does not suffer from our relationship and any issues relating to it._ " She privately praised herself for sneakily leaving out the fact she was going to do her damnedest to woo him between combat situations, and Jake, for his part, gave her a pleased smile and rubbed her shoulders in the way he knew made her purr in delight. " _And thank you. Trust me; the Bond only grows better and stronger once we've become a mated pair, not to mention –_ "

"Whoa there, let's go easy on the 'mating' business, okay?" Jake cleared his throat and blushed suddenly, realising he was still talking aloud. " _Look, let's just take a bit more time to think this all through, and we'll see where it goes from there, alright?_ " Advena nodded meekly. " _That's my girl. Now come on, let's rest up. We've got a lot of work to do if we want to impress the guys in charge. Not to mention I've gotta scout around for a good movie to watch._ "

" _A movie?_ " Advena echoed confusedly as they resumed walking.

 _"_ _Well, sure. Seems like a good place to start, don't you think?_ " Jake winked playfully, and Advena returned a shaky grin and quiet a sigh of relief. It felt so much better to have it out in the open, because she didn't think Xeno-to-human flirting had been translating well thus far. Not only was Jake not mad, he had accepted her, albeit rather hesitantly, and a little uncertainly. But that was okay; she could work with uncertain. The only thing that mattered was the fact that her human was giving her a chance. He was so kind like that, always willing to trust and humour her, always there to support her and keep her happy. Definite mate material.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Jake frowned and knocked on the door again, pressing his ear against the cool metal to see if he could hear anything from within. He could faintly make out crackling, old-timey music playing, then a melodic humming as somebody joined in with the tune. Jake huffed in annoyance and banged his fist against the metal once more, folding his arms impatiently. Finally, the door swished aside, revealing Tyler, leaning casually against the door frame with a mirthful twinkle in his eyes and a pleased grin on his lips. He twirled a small, seemingly fresh rose in his hands as he glanced upon his company.

"Oh, heya you two," the young scientist greeted him and Advena, who had been sitting dutifully by Jake's side the entire time.

"Christ man, took you long enough," Jake grumbled, loosening up his peevish posture. Tyler just shrugged and tucked his rose into his shirt pocket.

"Couldn't hear you over the music," he admitted sheepishly.

" _What is it? I can't understand the words…_ " Advena wondered. Jake smiled and repeated the question to Tyler.

" _La vie en Rose_. You wouldn't understand it, unless you took French classes in seventh grade or something."

"Do _you_ understand it?" Jake inquired curiously. He had no clue what the woman was singing, but the melody was quite nice.

"Nope. It sounds good though, don't it?" Tyler chuckled to himself, absently sniffing the flower tucked away into his shirt, before jolting upright. "Oh, right. You needed something?"

"Uh, yeah. I was wondering if you had the code to the aquatic specimen containment area. I wanted to, uh… run Advena through some water… environment… training…" Tyler chuckled quietly and told him to wait there, before disappearing into his room for a minute. Upon his return, he slapped a plastic rectangle into Jake's palm.

"Now, play safe children. Always wait half an hour after eating before entering the water."

"You got it _mom_ ," Jake jibed.

"Oh! And watch out for the blood-sucking leeches! The guys are pretty sure they cleaned them all out, but you never know."

"Oh, you're a real riot Tyler," Jake scoffed, before bidding his friend farewell.

" _Those leeches would have a nasty surprise waiting for them with me in there anyway. Sizzle sizzle pop._ " Jake chuckled and patted her head. It was an odd habit of his, but Advena seemed to enjoy the chaste touches. Whenever Jake caught himself doing it, he was reminded that while Advena was definitely by no means an animal like a cat or a dog, she wasn't exactly fully human either. He figured it would be pretty ironic if this whole time actions such as that had been insinuating romantic interest in his companion's culture.

"Here we are," Jake announced, swiping the plastic rectangle through the sensor slot. The door before them swished open unceremoniously, granting them an unobstructed view of the room beyond. A huge glass cylinder filled to the brim with water stood in the centre of the room, with a staircase leading up to the catwalk which circled the water's edge. The floor was grated, allowing for spilled liquids to be carried elsewhere, and one of the catwalks branched off into a small control room. Jake headed for the latter area, 'umm'ing and 'ahh'ing over the various controls until he found the temperature controls. "Give it a minute to warm up; I'm pretty sure the last thing to live in here was from the arctic or something."

" _Suit yourself_ ," Advena chirped over her shoulder, promptly before pouncing off the metal mesh of the catwalk and into the water. Jake let out an impressed whistle at the way she streamlined her body and entered the water without even the tiniest of splashes. " _Brr, you weren't joking. The last person to jump in here must have wanted to be an ice cube._ "

"Yeah well, serves you right." Jake poked his tongue out at her childishly, and received a face-full of icy cold water for his troubles. Advena snickered and inverted herself, disappearing into the depths below, her tail flicking above the surface for a second before it too was dragged down. Jake leaned over the edge, staring down through the clear waves in order to catch a glimpse of his Xenomorph companion. He eventually sighted her near the bottom of the aquarium, wriggling like a little tadpole, shooting off at incredible speeds.

" _You know, this is only the second time I've been swimming before, and the first time wasn't nearly as deep as this thing. It's a lovely experience._ "

"Glad to –" Jake paused, and switched to telepathy, seeing as she was much too far away to hear him speaking verbally, with a few dozen metres of water between them. " _Glad to hear it sweetheart. Now, don't forget to come up and take a breath every now and again, yeah?_ "

" _Oh quit your worrying. I can go for a couple more minutes, minimum._ " Jake rolled his eyes and slipped out of his jacket, then tugged his shirt away and kicked off his footwear. He threw himself over the lip, crashing into the water with the grace of an air-dropped hippo. Advena's head bobbed to the surface next to him once the water had finished raining down upon him, blowing bubbles from her maw.

"You're such a child," Jake remarked, poking one of her bubbles and making it pop in her face.

" _Says you. Taking keys to pools in the name of professional training, only to play Marco Polo with your alien. Shame on you._ "

"Touché. But I mostly did it just to give you a bath, you dirty creature." Advena huffed and yanked him under the water's surface with her tail, causing him to splutter indignantly when he resurfaced a second later. "Gah! You've started a war young missy, a war that you are not prepared to finish!" Jake pushed himself off the aquarium wall, shooting into Advena's midsection in his best impression of a tackle. Advena merely let herself sink, dragging him down with her as he clung onto her torso. She twirled around gracefully within the aquarium's depths, taking Jake on a wild ride, twisting, turning, looping and flipping. When he began to slip, she merely clasped him firmly to her chest and pressed her feet against the bottom, before launching herself towards the surface like a missile.

Jake detached himself to flop onto the side and cough, before laying limply on his back, half in and half out of the water, panting lightly. "Boy, you're really something else, you know that?"

" _Need some CPR?_ " Advena quipped, placing her hands on the aquarium walls to either side of Jake's shoulders. Their faces hovered inches apart for a few seconds, then Advena slowly began to close the distance, only to be halted by a single index finger pressing against her approaching lips.

"Slick," Jake commented, impressed at her smooth antics. "You almost had me. But no longer~" Jake slipped under the water's surface, ducking out beneath Advena before propelling himself away.

" _Ugh, you're such a tease. Get back here so I can romance you._ "

" _You gotta_ earn _it_." And so, Advena flipped herself back under the water's surface, ready to give chase to her cheeky human.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Later that evening, Jake and Advena sighed simultaneously and flopped onto the couch. Advena lay with her head on one armrest and tail dangling over the other, forcing Jake to snuggle up next to her or sit on the floor. He chose the former, naturally. The duo was exhausted after a tough training session, where they'd linked once more to engage simulated enemies of the toughest level. It wasn't too much of a challenge due to their unmatchable strength, but moving as they did was tiring work. The gym was about to become their best friend for the upcoming weeks.

In the meantime, however, they had some free time on their hands before they were due for a long sleep, so Jake flicked on the TV and began sifting through lists of movies. Advena purred and shifted her body, wrapping her human up in her arms gently, letting out a long breath of content.

" _You know… for so long, I was afraid I'd never find a mate. Generally, Xenomorphs only mate with one another if they are leaders within their Hive, for diplomacy with other Hives, or if their Bonded are already mated. With nobody to Bond with… things were looking really bleak for us. Xenomorphs can never form the kinds of Bonds with one another as they can with their Hosts._ "

"Hah, I can guarantee you it's the same with humans. I actually kind of like reading your emotions; it's a nice change of pace from having to guess. People always say they're fine, even if they're dying inside. But with you, I can always sense when something's wrong. It's unique, to say the least."

" _And you always know how to cheer me up…_ " Advena clasped him to her chest a little tighter, rubbing her carapace against his upper back affectionately.

"Okay, it's getting way too sappy in here. We're watching an action movie, alright?"

" _Maybe I'll be able to learn a few more showy moves from it too. It'll give us a tactical advantage,_ " Advena snickered, only half-serious. Jake mulled over it carefully, before grinning when he settled on a classic. Now, Jacob wasn't the geeky type, but who hasn't seen Star Wars? Advena, that's who. He neglected the prequel trilogy, because only the most hardcore of Star Wars fans _really_ enjoyed those ones, and started with the fourth episode, all while trying to explain to his alien companion how the fourth movie was made first.

And so they watched what used to be considered a Sci-Fi film together, Advena paying rapt attention and hissing the occasional question to Jake. When the movie ended, they found they hadn't the will to move, and ended up rolling over and just sleeping on the soft couch together, the warmth of each others' body better than any blanket.

And the next thing he knew, Jacob was sitting on a grassy hill, listening to the wind lazily spiral through the blades of green. The ocean lay at his feet, lapping at the flawless beaches below. It was quiet here, and for the first time, he found he was alone. It left him uneasy, not being able to see or feel where his alien companion was; she hadn't left his side in months, and now suddenly, poof.

He knew it wasn't real, of course. This was their dream realm, where Advena had first spoken to him, where he'd spent night after night trying to learn silly meditation techniques. It was less tranquil here without her. Quiet, sure, but he didn't feel at all at ease. It did give him some time to think, however, so he drew his knees closer to his chest and stared at the fake sunset, mulling things over.

Of course, the main thing plaguing his mind was the startling confession of Advena's. He had to congratulate himself on diverting Advena's attention away from doing anything romantic thus far, but now that he had a moment, he decided it was time to collect himself and take a good look at the situation. It made sense, looking back. She always had been very affectionate, and he'd just chosen to accept it as part of her kind's culture, but maybe it was more than that after all. That also meant, then, that this had been on Advena's mind for quite some time now, and he'd been oblivious to it all. He could imagine how frustrating that must have been, and had to give his companion credit for her patience. But he already knew Advena's thoughts on the whole situation, what he really needed to consider was where _he_ stood in it all, especially now that Advena wasn't even trying to be low key with her flirting anymore.

He supposed that while he'd grown to enjoy the time spent with his headstrong companion, he also couldn't force himself to love her. So the way he saw it, he just had to let it happen and see how it played out. He also had to make sure to watch out for Advena's advances; she'd almost caught him with her trick in the pool. Clearly she had a hard time holding back, as she obviously wanted to march them through the bases as quickly as possible. Maybe he'd brought it upon himself by bringing up sex – Advena was basing humanity's social norms off of his actions, after all.

In the end, dating seemed like the best solution; that's what two humans would do in this situation, right? If one person likes another, and the other person doesn't object, they begin dating to see if a long-term relationship would work out. The last thing Jake wanted to do was treat Advena as anything less than an equal – he'd already planted a seed of doubt in her by calling her a 'killing machine' – so whatever was normal for humans is what he should do for Advena. He steepled his hands and sighed, a small smirk tugging at his lips. As complicated as life had gotten the moment Advena showed up, he knew he would miss it all if it all went away; he couldn't deny how much fun he'd had.

It was at that moment the grass behind him swished and crunched crisply. Jake didn't turn around, because he already knew whose footsteps they were, and sure enough, a familiar midnight black body lay down on the ground next to him.

" _There you are. I got shut out for a bit there; you must have been thinking pretty hard. Something on your mind?_ "

"I think I've worked it out," Jake replied simply. "I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times just to make sure."


	8. Chapter 8: Truth and Derision

"Just leave me alone!" Jake paused. He knew that voice. Tyler. And he sounded distressed. "You-you-you just keep making things worse! They _already_ think I'm unfit for duty, and now you're doing this?" Silence for a few seconds. "But you're ruining my life! I've already lost my friends, and now you're going to take away my job and my freedom if you keep this up! Hah! What the hell do _you_ think? I've seen the way they look at me. They may not say anything, but they all try to avoid me. Nobody wants to hang out with a guy who's clinically insane."

Jake exchanged a glance with Advena, deciding to abandon their quest for breakfast in favour of pressing his ear against the closet door and listening in. "Yes, and I appreciate that, but if you keep this up you're going to leave me worse off than when you found me! I can't take this anymore! Just leave!" Jake heard a sob, and almost tore the door open before Tyler began speaking once more. "I… I know… but you can't… but… okay. Alright, fine. Just, don't talk to me when other people are around; I can't concentrate. And for the love of God, stop taking my body out for strolls; people think I have you under control."

Footsteps approached the door, and Jake quickly ducked away, and was promptly snatched up by Advena, who silently sprinted them out of sight.

" _Who do you think he was talking to?_ " Advena queried. " _It sounded important._ " Jake had no doubt the one-sided conversation they'd eavesdropped on had been between Tyler and Sal, and told Advena so.

" _Just act natural. He doesn't need to know we heard any of that._ " Advena nodded, and the duo strolled down the corridor, acting surprised when they 'bumped into' Tyler as he headed towards the mess hall.

"Oh, hey. I was just about to come find you two," Tyler greeted them. "I've given your first mission my stamp of approval, and I've finally gotten something out of those scans I took last week."

"Mission?" Jake repeated, deciding to get the most important thing out of the way first. Tyler motioned for the duo to follow him as he resumed his walk to the mess hall.

"It should be a piece of cake. Some Insurrectionists have holed up on one of the nearby planets, and you two are going to capture their leader by any means necessary while an attack force keeps their soldiers busy. Should be child's play, right?"

"Uh… right," Jake agreed, making a note to approach Jeica for more details later. Clearly Tyler wasn't cut out for military work.

"And the scans… the scans are very interesting indeed. Now, I didn't exactly have a lot to work with, so after I'd taken your brain scan, I took one of myself and compared them. I couldn't find any differences in shape, or any nodes out of place. But then, then a few days ago I suddenly had an epiphany. So I scanned someone who had avoided being impregnated in the recent outbreak, and it turns out you and I have an unusual growth attached to the underside of our cerebral cortex. Further experimentation has revealed that Xenomorphs stimulate this growth as their embryos form. The logical conclusion from there was easy; this growth is responsible for your telepathic link to Advena. Without it, telepathy would be impossible."

"Wait, then what does that mean for you?" Jake demanded. "If you have it too, does that mean you're able to hear Advena and I when we talk?"

"Curiously, no. Although, I daresay Advena will have some input on that." Jake looked down to his alien companion, and sure enough, she gave a slight nod whilst humming in thought.

" _Tyler is not linked with his Xenomorph. Whether this is because she is dead or too far away I can't tell. But, this means that Tyler's mind would not be stimulated into developing a connection to his telepathic node. Only a Host's Bonded would be able to forge that connection, so without Tyler's Xenomorph, his telepathy node would be useless._ " Jake relayed this information as best he could, and Tyler nodded sagely.

"Well, the next step from here will be artificial stimulation of the node then. Perhaps even recreation of it, so we can implement telepathy into soldiers without implanting them first. Revolutionise warfare and all that." Jake glared at the man angrily, and felt Advena's rage boil in her blood.

"Seriously? You're still prattling on about weaponising the Xenomorphs? Using them for their traits and tossing them away? I thought you were better than that, Tyler."

"Steady there Jake. I think we can both agree that the sooner we can implement Xenomorph traits into humans, the sooner we _can_ 'toss the Xenos away'. And once we do, they'll be free. Weyland will have no reason to keep them in cages if they get what they want. Besides, I don't get a say in the matter. I work for Weyland-Yutani, and Weyland-Yutani says weaponise Xenomorphs. What do you want me to do? I thought you of all people would appreciate a man who follows orders – isn't that what soldiers are for?"

"That's different," Jake growled.

"Of _course_ it is," Tyler exclaimed, slapping his forehead as if realising how stupid he'd been all along. "Soldiers _kill_ who they're ordered to, not giving second chances or thoughts about right or wrong. I'm so much worse – I find alternative ways to try and keep everyone safe, and merely devise ways to stop people who would bring disorder and strife to the galaxy. No no, you're absolutely right, I should go rethink everything I've been trying to accomplish for the past few years."

"Whose side are you on Tyler?" Jake demanded. "First you hate Weyland, and now you're praising them as if they're Jesus' second coming. What _are_ you trying to accomplish here?"

"Weyland are not good people, and I hate them – of course I do. But they have _power._ Weyland owns the galaxy already; all the oblivious idiots just don't know it yet. It's impossible to stop them, but maybe they don't need to be stopped. Maybe Weyland can restore order through superior force. In the end, it doesn't really matter, Jacob. I'm on the side that's _winning_. And the sooner Weyland wins, the sooner people can stop losing their families and homes to this pointless war."

"So that's it then?" Jacob observed, voice levelling out as calm suddenly washed over him. "You've given up."

"Don't act like that makes me a bad person," Tyler snapped bitterly. "You have no idea what I've been through. The only light left in my life is seeing this war end, so I can finally live in peace and just be happy. So yes, I've given up. I've given up on fighting, I've given up on being free, and I've given up on hoping that everything will be okay in the end. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go talk to Sal."

Advena and Jake watched the young man slink off, head hung low and shoulders sagging. Jake bit his lip and rubbed Advena's flank comfortingly, but he didn't know who he was trying to console.

" _What was he talking about?_ " Advena asked finally, curiosity tinged with pity and despair. She had never seen a human so broken before. They always fought until their last breath. The weak ones always hid, and ran, and did anything in their power to live another day. The brave ones always threw themselves into the fray, caring not for whether they lived or died, knowing only that their sacrifice would bring their species one step closer to their ideals. But in the end, she had only ever seen humans fighting Xenomorphs, and fighting amongst themselves seemed to be a whole other matter.

"You and I need to have a long talk before tomorrow," Jake concluded with a sigh. "But let's grab some breakfast first; I don't much fancy doing this on an empty stomach."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Weyland has always been rich, Advena," Jake explained from his seat at their kitchen table. They sat across from one another, sombre mood hanging thick in the air. "They were founded hundreds of years ago, and began devouring other companies, getting more money and enabling them to buy more companies which earned them more money… they bought manufacturing companies, news companies, properties, colonisation missions, scientific branches, everything. Now they're rooted deeply into society, with unmatched political power enabling them to cheat laws, media at their fingertips to create propaganda and disperse truths of their evil into odious myths. Eventually, they even came to own the military, through political ties and militant equipment manufactories."

Jake paused to make sure Advena was taking this all in. It may be difficult for her to understand how politics and government corruption work. She seemed quite capable of grasping 'money morals' however. "They of course used this power to control the people, nobody knows to what end. They wanted more power, more money, and the people didn't like it. Revolts, uprisings and rebellions spread like wildfire, but almost all of them failed as they were considered acts of terrorism and crushed by the military. Eventually, only the two most organised rebel groups were left: the Insurrectionists and the Resistance. They're not very big, but they know how to deploy their troops. They cause Weyland plenty of trouble and evade them for the most part, though several major battles take place almost every day. Some won, some lost."

" _And, what do you think of it all?_ " Advena asked after a lengthy pause.

"I joined the military to keep peace. I don't technically work for Weyland, and that's good enough for me. And the rebels… I believe in their cause, but there are better ways to go about it. These people blow up buildings, ravage planets, raid and steal to keep themselves afloat. Their actions cost the lives of the innocent, and that is unacceptable. If that's how peace is to be achieved, how does that make them any better than Weyland?" Advena nodded, silently agreeing with his opinion. Weyland may be cheating in certain aspects of governing, but they had acquired everything fairly. They had earned their money, and now they were reaping the benefits of it; spending it. The rebels offered nothing in return for what they did, and they cost lives and homes of innocent people, which not even Weyland did.

Well, not directly anyway. Her hive had been well contained until a very unfortunate and unpredictable malfunction led the live specimen containment to mysteriously unlock. Then an unpreventable error left the colonists unable to control the security features. It was merely coincidence that the devastating outbreak coincided with vital Weyland-Yutani experiments. Yeah right. Still, it was unclear who was the lesser evil out of the two groups, so Advena had to agree with Tyler on that one – join the winning side; the better equipped side. If both sides were just as bad as each other, might as well be on the one which will win, and therefore increase your chances of not being killed.

" _Jacob…_ " Advena murmured after a long pause. " _Will my kind ever be truly free? Or are we only good for serving as weapons as far as Weyland is concerned?_ "

"Willing soldiers are the most trustworthy. Logically speaking, Weyland could release the Xenomorphs as citizens, earning their favour as a result. Then, they could enlist Xenomorphs into the military if they so desire, which they would, because Weyland is good at manipulating people and media to suit themselves. So yes, I believe that eventually, once this experiment is over, Xenomorphs will be allowed into human society, which is as free as it gets."

" _I really hope you're right,"_ Advena sighed, scooting over to cuddle Jake comfortingly. " _As much as I'd love to run away and go on adventures with you, it would be selfish to care only for myself. I no longer have a Hive, but I do have an entire species I can protect._ "

"And you don't have to do it alone, sweetheart," Jake assured her, stroking her smooth head fondly. "I'm here for you." Advena purred and nuzzled his chest in gratitude, and the duo fell into a comfortable silence, each looking towards the future in hope. Jake had refrained from mentioning it, but there was a chance that Weyland would only free the Xenomorphs willing to become weapons. Jake had considered saying that if this was the case, he would fight for their freedom. Now that he thought about it, the Xenomorphs' new sentient status presented a new opportunity; with their might, humanity had a chance to get rid of Weyland once and for all. Not alone of course; they would need more than just the Xenos on the station, and in order to gain numbers, they would need humans. An army. Like a rebel army, just not one of the current ones, given their… skewed morals. It was a possibility that would plague his mind the following night.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

 **Planet: Orgellis  
0600 Hours  
Mission Time: 0:30  
Elite Unit Bravo-22**

Tyler gave Advena a comforting smile as he tipped her custom-built helmet backwards, securing it so it was out of her way. He briefly fussed over her small visor before turning to gaze at Jake when he spoke:

"Looking good hun." Tyler snorted at him amusedly and did a final once-over before waltzing over to the other side of the APC, where a bank of monitors stood. He seated himself and booted the system up, the three screens lighting up with different displays. The left one showed what Jake could see, the right displayed Advena's view, and the middle had the operating system.

"Alright, cameras are go, tactical systems optimal… you're clear to move out. Good luck out there Jake."

"Ah, aren't you forgetting someone?" Jake crooned, wrapping his arms around Advena's neck in a loose hug, despite the odd looks he received from the six other marines in the troop bay. Tyler rolled his eyes.

"Good luck out there, Corporal Xeno." Tyler gave a sloppy salute, then returned to his seat and began busily flicking over maps and geological scans. Jake shrugged and marched down the APC's loading ramp, Advena leaping off her seat and following closely behind him. Gunfire rattled in the distance, along with quick flashes like lightning on the dark horizon. The distraction had started. Jake raised an eyebrow when a small blue diamond appeared on his visor, along with the label '2km'. An objective marker. "Yeah, I know, I'm pretty great," Tyler sighed wistfully over the radio, as if he was modestly accepting praise.

The planet was pretty dull-looking, Jake decided after ten minutes of jogging. The ground was baked hard, riddled with spider-web-like cracks and the occasional sickly shrub. He even managed to spot the dried bones of a long-deceased animal. For the rest of the duo's journey to the Insurrectionist base, the landscape was simply more of the same, the only distraction from the monotony the evidence of the battle taking place in the distant hills.

"I'm not seeing any heavy defences," Jake observed. "You can probably pull the APC in a bit closer. Advena and I will infiltrate the place and capture the leader, so we'd appreciate it if you could be here waiting for us."

"Copy that Sergeant Harlor," Tyler acknowledged. "Let me know if you have any trouble, and I'll send in reinforcements ASAP." Jake thanked him, then crawled upon his belly closer to the enemy base, trying to get a better glimpse at it. It was an abandoned Weyland-Yutani colonisation outpost. The entranceway was small, squat and dull grey, leading into a bigger complex made of the small dull metal, only taller, and parts of it opened up into glass-roofed areas. A radio tower stood tall to the back end, signal lights dead, most likely to conceal their position. Knowing Weyland, the facility could be in possession of some heavy-duty doors and intricate security systems.

" _Did you get all of that?_ " Jake asked his companion. He was pretty sure he'd been broadcasting his thought track, but it paid to double-check.

" _They think they're hidden, potential breach point through the glass roof, heavy-duty security. Got it._ "

" _Great. I love a gal who can analyse tactical data._ "

" _Oh stop before you get me all wet,_ " Advena huffed sarcastically.

" _Advena!_ " Jake protested. The Xeno merely grinned and bopped him on the shoulder with her loose fist playfully. He rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger at her accusingly. " _You're lucky they can't hear us._ "

" _What they don't know won't kill them. Come on, have a little fun. Some good banter never hurt anyone. And no need to go easy on the flirtatious comments either._ "

" _You're unbelievable._ "

" _I know, it must be hard for you to come to terms with having such a hot lady like me as your girlfriend. This must all seem a bit unreal to you._ "

" _You're enjoying this too much_."

"Ahem," a voice interrupted them. "As riveting as it is to watch you two having a silent conversation, this mission is kinda time sensitive, so it would be nice if you guys could move sometime in the near future."

" _Boo,_ " Advena complained cheekily, " _And here I thought spoiling my fun was_ your _job._ "

"We're on it Tyler," Jake replied, ignoring his alien companion. "Concentrate, Advena," he mumbled afterwards.

" _Sorry, guess I get a bit giggly when I'm nervous. How do we want to approach this?_ "

"Stealth's your element," Jake reminded her, aloud so Tyler could observe at least part of their exchange. "We should find an air vent or something for you to infiltrate. Try to get to the glasshouse and I'll breach through the roof."

" _Sounds good to me. Get into position; I'll find a way in._ " When she felt Jake's scepticism, she grinned and lowered herself to the ground. " _Trust me; this is what us Xenomorphs are born to do._ " Then she shot off across the hard ground, melting into the shadows once she'd put some distance between them. Jake huffed in irritation, hoping she knew what she was doing. He really didn't want her to die again – he didn't think his chest could take giving birth to her a second time. He adjusted his tactical harness and plodded steadily towards the building, keeping a keen eye out for any snipers, scouts or lookouts.

He identified two targets, out of range, and stuck to their blind spots, eventually managing to scale the walls and crawl across the roof. He placed a charge on a glass panel, secured a length of durasteel rope and waited. Two minutes later, he felt Advena's approach below. Moments away from diving headfirst into action once more, Jake felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins. His heart throbbed and he took deep, calm breaths.

A second heartbeat joined his own, a second chest rising and falling steadily, a second set of eyes focusing sharply on the objective. The blind spots below him were filled with the pacing forms of armed guards, tactical positions and impromptu weapons flashing before his eyes. His breathing levelled out, slowing to match the one he could feel in the back of his mind, the powerful heart he sensed thumping to the beat of his own. They were connected once more. And the rush of excitement kicked in. Jake felt invincible. He felt pride, strength, confidence and gusto wash over him. He felt the claws sliding out of their sheaths, flexing testily as his fingers danced over the charge's interface, setting the timer for ten seconds.

 _Tick_.

Every breath felt like an eternity, plans, images, thoughts and feelings flying through his mind like busy bees rushing about to collect their pollen.

 _Tock._

In his mind, Jake was already crashing feet-first onto the guard below him. No, no… he had a long stride… Jake would have to adjust for his pace.

 _Tick._

An entire conversation exchanged within a second.

 _Tock._

Jake adjusted his stance, gripping the rope tightly as his slight adjustment lined up perfectly with where the aforementioned guard would be standing a few seconds from now.

 _Tick._

Pulse Rifles needed to be taken out first. The range would present a threat. The shotgunners wouldn't be able to land a hit on Advena whilst she ran on the walls and ceiling.

 _Tock._

Three quick flashes. His claws digging into the neck of the first shotgunner. Rolling across the walkway. A bone-breaking punch to the second shotgunner's gut.

 _Tick._

His boots crunching into the body below. Kicking the weapon at his feet. His sights lined up perfectly with the rifleman on the catwalks above.

 _Tock._

Pulse rifle in hands, shoot the supporting wire. Grenade out.

 _Tick._

A passionate kiss exchanged between… God damn it Advena. Sorry. Maybe later. Really? Yes, now focus.

 _Beeeeeeep._

The charge exploded, raining shards of glass into the room below. Jake caught sight of the room with his own eyes. He was hurtling towards the bottom section of the multi-layered area. A raised platform served as a walkway to get around the open area at the bottom, and a catwalk connected two high doorways which cut through the room into maintenance areas.

Jake landed atop the first guard, crushing him into the ground and sending his Pulse Rifle clattering to the floor. He booted the weapon with all his might, sending it hurtling into the second rifleman's head and fracturing his skull. He pivoted on a single foot and flawlessly fixed his sights on the final rifleman up on the catwalks, blasting him to pieces even as his face contorted in shock.

Meanwhile, blood sprayed onto the wall as Advena's claws slit the first shotgunner's throat. She rolled across the floor head over tail, before sliding to a halt, transferring all her momentum into a devastating punch to the second shotgunner's gut. She whipped her gun out and let loose a burst of caseless rounds into a supporting wire, which sent the attached light fixture swinging in an arc, ending in it smashing a rifleman on the opposite end of the walkway whom had taken cover around a bend. An explosion shook the room as the two guards rushing in from the next room were incinerated by Jake's grenade.

He grinned madly, index finger shooting up and meeting Advena's lips before he had even finished turning to face her.

"There's no way a single person in this facility didn't hear that," Jake remarked. "Get ready."

" _I am_ so _ready,_ " Advena purred. " _Oh, you were still talking about the fight._ "

"Grow up."

" _I'm_ already _a good foot or so taller than you. How big do you like your girls?_ " Jake flashed her the middle finger and hefted his rifle, Advena immediately pressing her back against his as their silent connection told her of his intentions. Seconds later, both doorways on either end of the room were spewing out enemy soldiers, crying out in terror and sliding into firing positions. In the three seconds it took for them to get into position, Advena and Jake had already argued over six different plans and finally settled on the seventh.

The first bullet left its barrel with a flash of ignition and an explosive _bang!_ Advena flung Jake in the direction of the catwalks and launched herself onto the wall faster than the naked eye can follow. Jake slammed into the mesh catwalk roughly, but shrugged off the pain and rained down fire from above. Advena had already barrelled into one of the two groups, tearing them to pieces with her claws, teeth and tail, while the second group fired wildly in her direction, succeeding only in taking out four of their own teammates as the Xeno moved too fast for them to track. Jake tossed a grenade into the group firing, then dropped a second grenade into the clear space next to them. They dived out of the way of the first explosive, only to land directly in the path of the second.

And still more poured out over their burned corpses. Their reserves must be thinning by now, Jake reasoned, so he dropped down from his vantage point with the assistance of his rope. He landed with enough velocity to carry him in a half-circle around the second wave, coiling his entry rope around three of the soldiers' necks and yanking it tight, smashing their heads together and strangling them simultaneously. A mutilated corpse slammed into the soldier next to him who had just about burst Jake's brain open with a buckshot, and Jake reciprocated by kicking the corpse's armed grenade back in Advena's direction. He faintly heard an explosion and the sound of twelve mounds of flesh splattering against various surfaces before cracking a head against the wall and emptying his clip into someone's torso.

The downed shotgunner picked themself up, only to be slammed back into the ground via a hard shove by Jake, ending in the victim's head slamming against the hard floor. Then he snatched his rope back and swung himself away from the volley of gunfire headed his way, releasing his hold and landing a few metres behind his attackers, whipping his pistol out and nailing each one in the head. He felt the final Insurrectionist soldier go rigid as a bladed tail pierced through his jaw and into his brain, before slumping to the floor when the appendage was tugged free.

"Gory," Jake commented with a raised eyebrow, surveying the damage. He hoped the interior decorators liked red, because this room had just gotten a new paintjob.

" _What, this? Nah, we went pretty easy on them if you ask me. So disorganised, they were hardly even worth the trouble of killing._ "

"Yeah, you know how you wanted me to stop calling you a killing machine…?"

" _Okay, okay. That was in bad taste. Now, do I get my kiss now, or when we have a nice comfy bed to lay down on?_ "

" _Advena, enough. We're still on camera remember. Practice talking dirty to me later._ "

" _Oho, you call_ that _dirty? Wait til we have a moment alone – I'll have you blushing like a virgin at this rate._ "

"You're terrible Advena. Just terrible."

" _You know you love it._ "

"Yes, that's the terrible part." They both grinned madly at one another, before heading deeper into the building. The walls were bare and covered in thick, heavy metal plating. They checked room after room, finding the crew quarters, storage areas, a gym which had been cleaned out, an armoury, and eventually a door which was enormous, and sealed tight with heavy hydraulic locks and a sophisticated-looking keypad. He swore when he discovered there was no way he could run a regular old bypass on the thing. He needed an expert.

Jake placed his fingers to his helmet and spoke into his radio. "Tyler, you got any specialists on board? I've got a keypad I can't crack."

"Yeah… yeah we do… give me a moment…" The radio went silent for about half a minute before Tyler plopped himself back into his chair and picked his headset back up. "Yeah, just the one. Is the building clear, or do I need to send an escort?"

"We've done a sweep. No hostiles to be found, other than behind this door, I presume."

"Solid copy. Hang tight; I'm sending your specialist along now…" Jake folded his arms and leaned against the wall casually, relying on Advena's enhanced senses to pick up on any ambushes which couldn't possibly exist, but basic training told him to stay alert for anyway. He drummed his fingers against his arm impatiently.

" _So… is now a good time to talk about making out and getting down'n'dirty?_ " Advena inquired.

"' _Vena girl, you really are one single-minded alien, aren't you?_ "

" _I just love watching you squirm. You're so cute when you get flustered._ "

" _Yes, I can see how you think that being cute ties in well with spilling the blood of our enemies. You're a hopeless romantic, 'Vena._ "

" _Well, wine is romantic, right? And you humans seem to think wine is made from the blood of your gods. Ever heard of grapes you silly fanatics?_ "

" _Of all the things you could possibly know about human culture, why? Why that?_ " Before Advena could formulate a reply, soft footfalls echoed down their corridor. Jake cocked his Pulse Rifle lazily, just out of habit, even though a tiny part of him was preparing for a fight, just in case. "No," he growled when the figure rounded the corner. "Absolutely not. Get back to the APC, _now_." Tyler raised an eyebrow and spread his arms.

"Nice to see you too. Now, let's have a look-see at this keypad."

"Tyler, what the hell do you think you're doing? This is a military operation!"

"Yes, an operation which will come to an abrupt and unduly close if somebody doesn't crack this security system. None of those jarheads have any training bar the basic point-and-shoot, you clearly have no idea what you're doing and Advena… well, she's Advena. So, either you sit here and twiddle your thumbs until the rebel force pulls out and surrounds you, or you step aside and let me at this thing." Jake sighed and, after some prodding from Advena, moved aside to allow Tyler access. "Thank you. Now…" he paused to crack his knuckles, "let's see what we have here…"

He blinked in surprise when he noticed something stuck to Advena's tail. A section of a guard's uniform was flapping like a miniature flag from the sharp tip, insignia showing boldly. "Is that… oh no, don't tell me…" he groaned, turning back to the keypad. He punched in four digits, and sure enough, the door rumbled open.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Jake demanded. "You knew the code?" Tyler nodded hesitantly.

"I've had a… brush with these guys before." Jake bit his lip when he pondered that statement. Could these be the same Insurrectionists who captured the young scientist three years ago? If so, having him at their side could prove to be quite useful, and judging by the lack of firing squad, the leader holed up within the secure section had already exhausted all of his fighting force.

The trio silently crept through the eerily quiet facility, sweeping every nook and cranny for some kind of hidden trap. They found nothing but a large control room, empty bar the machinery and a lone figure standing with his back to them.

"Don't worry about traps, you've already slaughtered all the men under my control…" the man choked out, wringing his hands behind his back. He sounded tired, defeated. Jake exchanged a look with his alien companion, and advanced with weapons drawn. The man turned, revealing a stubble-clad face with dark bags beneath hazel eyes. Stringy black hair fell down his face messily, uniform crumpled and messy. Jake faltered when he realised Tyler had stiffened and failed to follow his two friends closer, hanging back in the shadows.

"Tyler?" the rebel guffawed, disbelief lighting his eyes. "Tyler? Is-is that you? It's been years…" Jake threw a questioning look over his shoulder.

"Tyler, you know this man?"

"No. I've never met him in my life," Tyler insisted flatly, refusing to meet anyone's eye.

"C'mon Tyler, you've led Weyland right to my doorstep, killed your friends and sentenced me to death. Aren't you at least going to acknowledge me one last time?"

"Those people weren't my friends!" Tyler snapped angrily. "I hate them. I hate you. I hate all the rebel scum who fight endlessly and get thousands of innocent people killed!"

"I seem to remember it differently…"

"You're deluded then!"

"What about Alex? Are you going to refuse to –"

"Don't you dare say their name!" Tyler yelled, advancing three paces and jabbing a furious finger at his offender. Jake could see the half-formed tears in his eyes now that the man was in closer proximity.

"Ah, 'they' huh? So you still have your little problem?"

"Shut up! Shut up! You and all your stupid, mindless idiot soldiers are going to die, then Weyland will win and everyone will be able to live a peaceful life!"

"Do you really believe that, Tyler? After everything you've seen? What happened to you? I know things have been tough, but this –"

"You know nothing," Tyler spat. "You don't know the pain, the hardships, the suffering. Don't even pretend. You act like you're so good, here to help everybody. Well, you didn't help me, did you? You didn't help all those people who died fighting a pointless war while you sat on your ass and told their friends they died a hero."

"Stop," Jake interrupted firmly, placing a hand on both their chests and pushing them apart gently. "Explain."

"Go ahead," Tyler growled, staring the rebel leader right in the eye. "Butter it up for him; sway him with your venomous words like you always do. Let's see how the 'truth' sounds from your mouth." The rebel leader sighed sadly and pulled up a chair, gesturing half-heartedly for the others to do the same. Tyler opted to remain standing, folding his arms and scowling.

"Where to start? I guess the first thing you ought to know is that there are two rebel groups: the Insurrectionists, and us, the Resistance. The Insurrectionists are extremists; they don't care about the method, only the end result, even if it costs the lives of the innocent. They destroy, and raid, pillage and ransack just to keep themselves afloat. The Resistance, we kill only when necessary, always ensure civilians are outside of the operation area before engaging and never harm those we serve to protect. However, Weyland would have you believe we're all the same, right?" Jake nodded at that last bit, and turned to Tyler.

"Is this true?" Tyler gave the slightest of unhappy nods, still boring holes into the rebel's soul. The grizzled leader gave him a pathetic attempt at a smile, before continuing.

"And I guess you want to know about Tyler, yes? How he ties into all of this? Well, a long time ago, back when he was, what? Fifteen? Sixteen? He was forced to leave his home by his own people for reasons I'm sure he'd prefer me not to bring up. Rest assured, he was no criminal, he was just born with an… affliction of sorts, that his people couldn't deal with. So he stowed away, and joined a crew of freighters. However, these guys were loosely associated with us – suppliers of sorts they were – so when Tyler's ship met up with one of Weyland's, they were promptly shot down. Tyler and his captain were the only survivors, well, until the captain succumbed to his injuries a few hours after the crash. We saw the ship go down and found him a little later, traumatised and just… holding the body of his dead friend. Unable to comprehend Weyland's random acts of cruelty."

Jake glanced back at Tyler once more, studying his face carefully. His eyes had a glassy look, and his scowl had lost its bite. Maybe he was talking to Sal. Jake imagined that reliving traumatising memories would be as good a time as any to receive some comfort from his imaginary friend. But from the hurt look on his face, the consolation wasn't going so well.

"We took Tyler in," the rebel continued, "taught him a few tricks to survive and let him join us in a backline role, once he'd begged us for days on end." The man chuckled fondly at this, face dropping when his eyes fell on Tyler's expressionless form. "In the years that followed, Tyler met someone and became very close to them. Romantically close. They comforted Tyler, made sure he was eating well and sleeping in a warm bed. They always kept him safe and happy. I still remember that stupid grin he wore every time they would come back from a mission."

Jake groaned internally. He could already see where this was going, and didn't like it one bit. "And, of course, eventually… they didn't come back. Taken out by a USCM soldier, on Weyland's orders. The next day, Tyler was gone. From what we could gather, he jumped in with the Insurrectionists we were trying to have a diplomatic meeting with and disappeared. Now he's here, working with the very people who took everything from him." The rebel shook his head sadly. "What the hell happened to you Tyler? You used to be such an avid believer in the cause."

"I pulled my head out of my ass and did a reality check," Tyler snapped. "I'm impressed you haven't been killed yet, I really am, but not dying isn't going to win you this war. Nothing will."

"Nothing but having a Weyland-Yutani super weapon on our side. Something so fresh and new that it hasn't become standard issue yet. Something big, strong, powerful, dangerous, sleek and black which bursts out of peoples' chests."

Jake frowned.

"What are you saying?" he demanded.

"I'm saying that you three have a chance to strike back at Weyland, if you wanted to. With the Xenomorphs working alongside us, we could quite possibly win this war. I've gathered from the fact you're hearing me out that you're the rational type, so just think on that for a moment, Sergeant."

"Sergeant, just hurry up and shoot this man," Tyler growled, stepping back to cross his arms and stare in the opposite direction, though out of disgust or shame nobody could tell.

"Mission said we take him alive," Jake stated matter-of-factly, "so just head back to the APC. We'll meet up with you in a minute."

"No. If you're going to take him in, then go ahead and apprehend him. We've nothing to gain by sitting around talking, so just hurry up and do it already." Jake held out a hand in a 'wait' motion, turning back to the rebel leader.

"Just one question, rebel." The Resistance fighter dipped his head slightly and gestured for him to continue. "If you're so different, then why haven't you lot tried to wipe the Insurrectionists out already? They're giving you a bad name, and with them gone you'd get a much bigger following."

"We are, believe me. But rebellions run deep, with strongholds and pockets everywhere. We're closing in on them, sure, but there's still enough of them left to cause trouble. The problem is that we either have to be covert enough not to draw Weyland's attention, or sneaky enough to get Weyland to take them out for us." Jake fished out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them on the rebel's wrists, shoving him towards the doorway.

"Alright, let's go." But the man was frozen, as was Advena. Jake could feel waves of uncertainty radiating from her. She wanted desperately to fight or take flight, but her mind was in turmoil as to whether either of those would be an appropriate response. Jake stepped out next to her, and gritted his teeth.

Tyler barred the way, Jake's pistol in his hand, which was outstretched in the rebel's direction. The barrel was inches away from his head, and the safety was flicked off. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. "Tyler, put the gun down, yeah?"

"You don't understand, Jake. This man is too dangerous. We can't take him back – he lies, deceives and talks his way out of every situation. If we take him back to the station, there's a high chance he'll find a way to turn us all against one another, and probably escape."

"That's not for either of us to decide. He's defenceless, bound and under protection by humanitarian laws. Put the gun down."

"If he could have, he would have shot me already," the rebel told him confidently. "The Tyler I knew was a mixed man. Never hurt anyone unless they threatened somebody he loved. He won't shoot me."

"That may be so," Tyler agreed, "but I know someone who will." He screwed his eyes shut, and Jake paused for half a second, trying to discern if it was a ruse. Then he remembered.

Sal.

He launched himself at Tyler, tackling the man around his waist and sending them both crashing to the ground. The gun skittered across the floor, out of reach, and Jake immediately pinned the young man's limbs so he couldn't move no matter how much he squirmed.

"Advena, take our prisoner back to the APC – but hand me your cuffs before you do."

"Sal!" Tyler screamed. "Sal please! Sal! Help me!" Jake shoved his hand over Tyler's mouth, accepted the handcuffs from his alien companion, and hastily bound the scientist's wrists.

"Jesus Christ Tyler. As soon as we get back, I'm putting in an appeal to get you taken off active duty and you're going to have a nice, long chat with the on-board psychiatrist. Fuck…" Jake groaned as he hauled his friend to his feet. He marched them back to the APC, where Advena had already gotten the prisoner and herself strapped in, awaiting pickup from a dropship. The wait and resulting trip was all spent consumed by awkward silence.


	9. Chapter 9: A Chance in Hell

Jake let out a long sigh of relaxation. His eyes had long since drifted shut, and he merely enjoyed the comfy couch at his back, warm alien laying at his side, and soft skin beneath his fingers. Advena purred contentedly at the light brushes his dexterous fingers gave her, releasing a relaxed sigh of her own. They were worried about Tyler, Jeica too once she'd reviewed the recordings taken from their helmet cams. Jake's appeal had been accepted, and Tyler would officially be off-duty for the next month, hopefully allowing him to take it easy and smooth out whatever issues he had.

And now, they basked lazily in the afternoon atmosphere, more than a day after their first mission. Today was not a day for strenuous exercises or reviewing their mission efficiency. No, today was a day for lying down and trying to come to terms with everything they'd seen and heard. With the new discovery that the Resistance were in fact not plain old extremists, he didn't quite know what to think of his current position. Now he was forced to actually seriously consider their odds of beating Weyland. If the Resistance had Xenomorphs on their side, and enough people, they could win this. The Weyland-Yutani could be taken down once and for all – no more sick experiments, or militant rule. No more being controlled, lied to and manipulated. Humanity could reclaim the peaceful equality that had once reigned strong. And not too far away from their cosy room, locked away in the brig, was a man who could quite possibly lead him and his Xenomorph companion to such a future. But the rebel wouldn't be around for long; once he was interrogated, he could be disposed of, one way or another. That didn't leave him long to make a decision.

Advena nuzzled him, gently nudging him out of his thoughts and into the present with a soft purr.

" _You know, now that we're all relaxed, there's something I'd quite like to try with you…_ " she told him cryptically. Jake's heart skipped a beat in terror as his mind jumped to conclusions, but Advena was quick to soothe him. " _Nothing like_ that _. No, I mean an ability that we have, as a Bonded pair._ "

"Alright, hit me with it," Jake accepted, panicked mind slowly winding down to normal. Crisis averted.

" _Okay. Just relax… don't fight it, even though it may seem strange at first…_ " Jake waited with his eyes closed, keeping his breathing steady. He felt a nudge at the corners of his mind – a tingle. Then he was swept with a wave a dizziness and nausea. Everything shifted into a darker shade of black, and he suddenly felt powerful and brimming with energy. He felt like he'd been looking through a magnifying glass his whole life, and only now was he seeing the world as it truly was – his hearing sharpened, a plethora of new smells intoxicated his nose and he could _feel_ the objects around him. It was something like that feeling you get when someone brushes close to you, but doesn't touch you. That weird feeling which makes all your little hairs stand on end. Except he had no hair anymore.

He tried to open his eyes, but nothing happened. He couldn't blink, but slowly the world was fading into focus as his mind adjusted to the new sensory inputs. He could see his own face from his vantage point, laying on his own chest… He reached around to scratch the itch on his tail bone, leaping in fright when he felt the thick base of a tail residing there. His hands shot up before him, and finally realisation dawned on him. He was in Advena's body; seeing what she saw, feeling what she felt.

"Whoa…" he tried to say, except all that came out was: "Skreeek?"

"Take it – good lord your voice sounds even deeper from in here – take it slow," he heard himself say. Advena. She was in his body. They had swapped bodies.

" _Oh, this is_ weird!" Jake exclaimed telepathically.

"Ugh, so flimsy…" Advena muttered, flexing her human hands before her. "How you get anything done in thith body is beyond me – I'm impressed." Jake was dimly aware of how Advena was struggling with certain 's' sounds due to her new tongue, before he gulped nervously as his mind slowly accepted the messages from his new body's nerves, and something felt very wrong… in his crotch.

" _Oh god. I'm a girl,_ " he realised. " _Oh, this is WEIRD!_ " Advena chuckled and ran a hand through her hair experimentally.

"Fun though. Now you get to know how I feel all the time, and I get to see how hard it ith for you to keep up with me. Go on, give 'er a whirl when you feel ready. Just don't beat up my body too much."

" _Will do. Don't go getting an erection or anything._ "

"Oh please; I'm not that vain. Though, I _do_ wonder what that would feel like…" Advena stared down at her – well, _his_ – crotch in bemusement, and Jake quickly prodded her lightly with his claw.

" _Oi! Where's the 'nope' button on this thing? I want to be able to kick you out of my body as soon as I think you're gonna do something weird._ "

"Oh relax," Advena giggled girlishly, "you can wrestle control from me whenever you want – if you try hard enough." Jake sighed and shook his head, jumping in fright before he remembered why the noises weren't coming out right. Clumsily at first, Jake took his first step, before collapsing onto all fours as he teetered and overbalanced. Funnily enough, it felt more natural to be standing this way; his limbs were made for it, after all. He did an experimental lap around the room, before gaining confidence and speeding up, eventually working his way towards jumping at the wall.

He felt a sudden compulsion to shift his balance and arrange his claws just-so, enabling him to hang on the wall as if it were the floor. New instincts were rushing into his mind, and he realised Advena must have been feeding him the subconscious urges. He screeched in joy and sprinted across the vertical surface, mantling onto the roof and hanging upside-down. It was incredible how free he felt; every piece of the world was a playground – something he could twist and manipulate in his favour.

" _Damn, why don't we do this more often?_ " Jake queried, digging his tail into the roof so he could dangle from it like a light fixture. Advena smiled and booped him on the nose, triggering that rush of dizziness and nausea. Jake stumbled and face-planted as the world spun several times, and it took him a few seconds to remember how to blink. Likewise, he heard a dull _thump_ as his alien friend collided with the floor.

" _Yeouch!_ " the mess of tangled limbs complained. " _Ugh… as you can see, it takes a_ lot _of practice to get it right. For the first few dozens of times we do this, we'll get that same dizziness rush. In fact, some pairs never get to shake it, which makes it an unviable option during combat. Also, both partners need to be relaxed and accepting of it, which is a hard state of mind to achieve in the midst of battle. Besides that however, you only have to bear in mind that if we get out of telepathic range, we'll both get dumped back into our original bodies._ "

"Wow… so what else can we do?" Jake breathed, picking himself up off the floor and onto his knees excitedly. Advena pushed herself onto all fours and grinned at him.

" _All sorts of stuff. We can share memories, for starters. Actually, this one's fairly interesting, and a little complicated, but invaluable as it is an incredibly accurate way of relaying tactical information. The way it works is much the same as any other ability; you must have complete trust in your partner and allow them into your mind. Any memory you think of can then be latched onto by your partner, forcing you both to relive it. Be careful not to let your thoughts stray, or you might show something you didn't want to, and there won't really be much either of us can do about it._ " Advena curled herself onto the couch, wriggling to get comfortable as she tucked her tail before her nose like a cat, still gazing at her human. " _If you like, I could share something with you, just to give you an idea of what it's like._ "

"Definitely. Should I sit down for this?"

" _If you want. You're not going to collapse or anything. Now, what do you want to know about my past?_ "

"Hmm… actually, I am kinda curious as to where you heard that song you were playing in the dream world when we first met. Come Softly to Me? It was an old favourite of my parents'."

" _Er, I'm not so sure about that one… it's not pretty…_ "

"Oh come on, I'm a soldier, it can't be that bad."

" _Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you… it's really quite disturbing…_ " When Jake didn't stop her, Advena sighed and dropped her head, concentrating. Jake felt an odd buzzing sensation behind his eyes, and relaxed himself, accepting the sensation until a wave of emotions swept over him, colours and lights blurring his vision. He was confused, frightened, and constantly reciting instructions given to him by his Xenomorphic elders. He was Advena, but much, much younger. The world slowly stopped spinning, and as his vision cleared he had been suddenly transported elsewhere…

 _Loud, red, flashing. Why are humans so loud and irritating? Grey walls, grey doors, grey ceilings and holes which you couldn't put your hands through. Screaming, running, bang bang bang. Loud. Annoying. I feel elated when my thirst is finally quenched by the sweet red nectar of human flesh._

 _"_ _Sixteen! Sixteen! No, listen here you fucking corporate asshole! I have a Xenomorph loose in lab sector sixteen, and I need a containment team sent down here ASAP!"_ _Loud. Unintelligible. Humans love their numbers and sectors, alphas, bravos and guys named Charlie. Stupid. The loud man doesn't look happy to see me. Good. I don't like him. And he doesn't like my claws ripping through his chest. So flimsy. What makes them think they have the power to contain us here?_

 _More noise. Screaming, yelling, cursing. Now I'm joined by my family. They're running around, cages open. Good for them. I see through the solid hole into a room with two humans. They've made their moving walls block my family's path, but my family is strong. They will win in a fight against a flimsy piece of metal. The two humans seem to think they're safe, embracing one another as if nothing's wrong. Then I hear more noise. Good noise. It doesn't mingle into the cacophony of human nonsense; it drifts through the air and soothes, makes me want to make noise too. Soft noise though. I want to sway to that noise. Human nonsense joins in, but it's nice nonsense. Talking, but in a way which matches the nice noise. Nice talking._

 _The humans are swaying in each others' arms. Maybe they feel the same? The walls are broken through, but the humans continue swaying as if my family aren't in the room with them. Are they blind? Or perhaps the nice noise has deafened them. They are leaking, from their eyes. Not red leaking; not blood. I don't want to watch the nice ones die, so I drop down below the solid hole._

 _Humans in their metal clothes come in, using their loud sticks to fight my family. I don't feel like fighting anymore. I want to sit down next to the box. The box is making the nice noise. The nice people are leaking all over the floor next to it. This time it is red. I don't feel elated by it anymore. The nice noise is making me sad. I think I'm going to lie down now. Maybe if I listen hard enough, I won't be able to hear anything except the nice noise. Not the loud humans, not the nonsense, not my family._

 _"_ _What's it doing?" Bad nonsense. Be quiet._

 _"_ _I don't know, just fucking shoot it before it sees us!" Go away bad noise._

 _"_ _Wait. This is interesting… perhaps this experiment wasn't such a waste of time after all. Gas it and replace the dead workers with more subjects."_

 _"_ _You're the boss." One of them is going away. Maybe the rest will go away too if I keep ignoring them. The nice noise stops. I growl. Where did it go? What happened to the nice noise? Of course, those humans. I face them now, two of the metal-wearing ones. They must have gotten rid of the nice noise. Humans can do that – I've seen it. They can make bad noises appear and disappear, so they can probably do it to nice noises too. Which means this is their fault. Maybe if I kill them, the nice noise will come back._

 _They look scared. Good. But then… one touches the box, and the nice noise begins again. Now that's interesting… maybe they finally figured out what happens when they make people like me angry. Maybe these humans can learn not to be so loud and annoying. They_ did _make the nice noise, after all…_

 _Ah, and what a nice noise. The humans don't interest me anymore. As long as I can lay down and listen to the nice noise. I feel sad that my family is gone now, but Mother has been gone for a long long time, so what use would getting away do us anyway? I don't think there's nice noise outside…_

Jake wiped away a furious tear and fell back onto his ass, confused, angry and terrified.

" _Jacob…?_ " Advena asked cautiously, nuzzling his arm softly. Concern was dripping from her voice, but Jake was too numb to do anything but stare. Even with the years stacking against him to dull the memory, Jake could recognise those two figures anywhere. The two people who had disappeared so suddenly from his life. The two people who had been his reason for joining the USCM in the first place.

"I can't believe it…" Jake finally whispered. "All these years… they died in a Weyland experiment. They let those Xenomorphs out on purpose, didn't they?" Advena nodded sagely, already able to understand the situation from the emotions pouring from Jacob. "The Corporation… is responsible for the deaths of my parents…"

" _And mine,_ " Advena agreed.

"'Vena girl, I am so sorry. I didn't even know…" The Xenomorph sighed and nuzzled his shoulder, provoking a tight embrace from her human, which she gladly accepted and returned. "'Vena…" Jake murmured after a short time, not relinquishing his grip on her. "How many murders have they covered up and kept from the public? I've been thinking about this a lot, and maybe… maybe the rebel was right. Maybe we should consider his offer. We could leave this station right now, and fight to free both your people and mine."

" _No, we can do so much more than that, my Bonded. We can send our enemies a message. We can seize this station from them and destroy it. But first, we need a plan for when we get out of here. And for that, we need to talk to our prisoner._ " Jake kissed the top of her domed head with a bittersweet smile.

"I love you 'Vena."

" _And I you Jake. We need to be careful about this; take some time to plan it out. Rash actions will get us nowhere._ "

"And we don't know who we can trust," Jake put in. "Though I daresay Tyler isn't an ally."

" _Jeica?_ "

"I don't think so. She must be pretty damn loyal to have earned her way to General. Maybe we should just try for the two of us for now, and if anyone joins in on the action, we take them with us. And of course, we'll have the Xenos on our side once we liberate them." Neither of them said anything for a short while, simply resting in one another's arms, each thinking deeply on what they were planning to do.

" _Would we really be able to do it?_ " Advena implored.

"I don't know 'Vena. But you've heard my story; Weyland's taken everything from me, and with our recent discoveries about the Resistance, for once in my life I have hope. I won't drag you down if this isn't your fight, but I'm willing to die for this. For a chance."

" _If we don't win together, we die together,_ " Advena assured him with a smile, finally withdrawing from his arms. " _For a chance in hell, then._ "

"For a chance in hell," Jake agreed. "Now, let's get a word with our newest friend."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"You don't mind if I leave her with you, do you?" Jake implored politely. The security guard sighed and shrugged.

"Sure, why not. Normally it would be against protocols, but I doubt she knows how to operate this stuff. Head on through." Jake thanked him, then made his way into the brig while Advena lay down behind the guard's chair, a heavy, one-way door sealing her in. Jake halted his progress moments before he entered camera range and pressed his back against the wall to steady himself. With a rush of dizziness and a wave of nausea, he opened his eyes, and found himself staring at the immobile form of the security guard. Deftly, he flicked his tail aside so he could sit comfortably on the guard's chair and began tapping away at the security console, disabling the cameras and monitoring equipment. He pawed the door controls so they swished open and retreated back into the corridor.

" _We're clear_ ," he informed his companion. He then stumbled and face-planted, causing Advena to trip over his body and crash into the floor in her uncoordinated state. "Ugh, I'll never get used to that whole switching thing," he whined once he'd regained control of his own body again.

" _Me neither. It's a neat party trick though. That guy never saw it coming._ " They reached the appropriate cell and were greeted by the familiar face of the rebel leader, now clad in a dull yellow jumpsuit.

"Ah, you two again. The security cameras don't seem to be operating properly." Judging by the mirthful smirk on the man's face, he knew exactly what was up. "I guess now would be as good a time as any for introductions, ay? I'm Lieutenant Daryl Parker, Resistance leader, and a bit of an asshole until you get to know me." Parker stuck his hand through the bars, and Jake grudgingly shook it. He was apprehensive of this rebel because, as much as he hated to admit it, Tyler was right about one thing; this man was a snake. Mischievous, dirty, quick-witted and sharp-tongued. Something you expected to find in a conman rather than a leader.

"Jake Harlor, Sergeant, Advena Project, Elite Division."

"So Sergeant, what brings you to my humble cell? I daresay it's not to fix the lax security."

"Advena and I are planning a break. We want some input from you." Parker nodded the go ahead, so Jake pressed his lips and continued. "If, hypothetically, somebody were to break out the Xenomorphs, shut down long-range communications and seize the command sector of this station, where then, would they go to find refuge from Weyland?"

"You're looking for a planet to start a Xeno colony on? Hmm… that's a tough one, but, I might have somewhere in mind."

"Well?" Jake demanded impatiently. He received a finger waggling in front of his face scoldingly.

"Uh-uh Mister Harlor. I know you don't like me; I can see it in your eyes. To ensure you're not trying to ditch me, or worse yet, make me lead you to a loyal planet, I won't say a word until this little coup of yours has reached its climax. I.e., you find out when we're on a ship outta here."

"You dirty little…" Jake growled with a scowl. "Fine. But I want some details on this planet of yours. What are we talking? Mining planet? Undiscovered haven?"

"A bit of the latter," Parker said dismissively, "it's a tight-knit community, very out of the way and all but forgotten by Weyland. They're loyal to the cause, but not directly so. Civilians only, you see. They provide us with food, supplies and occasionally shelter when we need to lie low. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to harbour the Corporation's next greatest enemy."

" _Do we trust him?_ " Advena inquired hesitantly, peering at the rebel suspiciously.

" _It's either that or stay here. I'm sure if he's lying, we can just wing it and find our own way. But if he's not… a whole planet to repopulate your species. It could be the edge we need, not just to stop Weyland, but to save your species._ "

" _I would like that. I would like that very much._ " Jake couldn't help but smile at her dreamy voice as she pondered that tantalising idea. Freeing her kind. Seeing grassy hills and crystal clear water with her own senses. Chasing prey through the forest, hunting a home to construct a hive. Jake could feel her aspirations and the raw emotions associated with them. This wasn't an opportunity he could pass up. A chance in hell, that's what they had come into this saying, wasn't it?

"You have a deal, Parker. Be ready tomorrow, we've got a little tampering to do in preparation."

"Well, wouldja look at that; I'm all done packing already."

"Smartass." Jake flicked the cameras back on as he passed through the office, then he and his companion made some preparations for the big day. This was it; sink or swim. At least they were in it together.

Come dinner time, Jake's nerves were keeping him good and jittery. He could barely stomach his food because of the butterflies doing burnouts in his stomach, but he forced down the tasteless meal knowing that he would need the strength if they were going to pull this off. Several times he considered backing out and maybe waiting a bit longer, but that would most likely be a death sentence for their rebel 'friend'. Besides, with the atrocities he now knew went on behind the scenes in mind, he couldn't find it in himself to stick around for another month, staring right into the eyes of monsters and murderers. He had always known the Wey-Yu was crooked – everyone does – but to actually see the horrors they unleashed upon people with his own eyes… that was something else entirely.

"Hey," somebody cooed quietly, snapping Jake out of his thoughts. Jake knew the voice of course; one of the only three people brave enough to approach them uninvited. Tyler stood anxiously off to one side, a wavering smile having a hard time staying on his lips as he glanced around nervously, wringing his hands. His grey uniform was gone, replaced by a casual white T-shirt partially accompanied by an unzipped black jacket and worn denim jeans. There was a rip on the jacket's left shoulder where something had been stitched on once, only to be torn off rather crudely. An analytical part of Jake's mind decided that's where an insignia of some kind would go, pertaining to the fact that Tyler was wearing part of his Resistance uniform, minus the patch.

"Hi," Jake greeted him back with a small wave. Tyler continued fidgeting for a moment, apparently uninterested in sitting down with them, and averted his eyes before mumbling:

"I'm sorry about yesterday… I got kinda out of hand. I just wanted to leave my past in the past, you know? Bad things happened to me, and the people around me, so I hope you can understand that I just want to forget it all. It's kind of hard to do that when some smug bastard is holding a fucking one-oh-one class on your life story. So, yeah. Sorry for getting all upset, I guess." Jake didn't really know how to respond to that, but it proved irrelevant when Tyler shuffled away, before pausing and turning back for a moment. "And, Advena? I was wondering… is it possible for someone to develop telepathy without the help of their Bonded?"

" _Theoretically, yes. It would require a very specific kind of person, however. Somebody very open, very weak-willed, or very emotionally unstable._ " Jake opened his mouth to relay the information, but Tyler held out a hand to stop him.

"Ha, that's pretty much what I expected. Thanks Vee." Then he was gone; quickly swallowed up by the tides of personnel rushing to get their meal over and done with so they could settle down for the evening. Jake panicked for a moment, wondering how everything would change now that Tyler could hear them. He calmed down when he remembered that if all went according to plan, they would both be far away from the station this time tomorrow. They just had to be careful about where and when they discussed their plans.

"That was… weird," Jake decided finally. "Did he just call you 'Vee'?"

" _It's his little pet name for me. You call me 'Vena, he calls me Vee – only in private, of course. I like it; I think it's kinda cute,_ " Advena explained with a shrug. She jabbed a claw into a piece of broccoli on Jake's plate and plopped it into her mouth, her mind clouded by heavy thoughts. " _Remember how you spent the first few weeks of our time together thinking I was a carnivore?_ "

Jake's eyebrow arched in bemusement, wondering why she was choosing to bring this up. " _Tyler didn't. The first day we hung out together, he offered me some of his popcorn. And he always kept those scientists away from me as much as possible._ "

"What are you trying to say?" Jake sighed.

" _I just want you to remember who your friends are. Just because somebody's not on our side, doesn't mean they're our enemy._ "

"That's exactly what it means, Advena. Tyler will try to stop us when he finds out. There will come a time when we have to decide between our friends and the freedom of both our peoples."

" _I thought you might say something like that._ " Jake gently hooked a finger beneath her chin and brought her face to his, offering his best supportive smile.

"Oceans stretching across the horizon, soft grass beneath your feet, fresh air to breathe. Remember what we're fighting for Advena. Everything we do, all the sacrifices we make, will be worth it in the end – I promise."

" _Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it._ "

"Come on, we should grab some sleep. We'll need to be at the top of our game for tomorrow."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Early morning. Hardly anybody up and about at this time; mostly marines in their jumpsuits, going through the motions before starting their day. Jogging laps around the station, standing in neat lines, dropping to the floor as rippling muscles pumped out push-ups like they were nothing. Jake and Advena walked right on past them, an ominous black duffle bag swinging at the human's side. They passed under an archway marked 'Security Substation 07', barely sparing the sign a glance. With rehearsed ease, they talked their way past the guards and into the small boxy room beyond.

Jake strode to the far wall, in full view of the long, bullet-proof glass window which ran the length of the wall which separated them from the security station. Pulling his cap farther down his face, Jake set down his bag and pulled out some esoteric electrical equipment, and set about performing some maintenance on an electrical junction. Meanwhile, the shadows cloaked Advena's movements as she crept along the ceiling towards the thick, heavy bulkhead door which would lead them into the security booth.

The guard within the substation frowned slightly as Jake swayed woozily, before gaining his bearings and returning to work, though from his angle he couldn't see the human's hands fumbling clumsily with the tools, having never set hands on them before.

Advena barely caught herself before her head clanged against the door, breathing a quick sigh of relief before fumbling with the access panel next to it. She pulled out a small device and expertly manipulated the circuits in the door, hooking them up with her small machine, before tapping away at the keys stealthily. Jake glanced over his shoulder nervously, and the security guard's eyes widened slightly seconds before the door swished open and Advena leapt in, mauling the man before he could hit the alarm. Jake retrieved his duffle bag and walked it into the booth with his companion, before they both switched back into their original bodies.

"Damn, we're getting good at that," Jake remarked. Advena just smiled nervously and watched him crack his knuckles as he eyed the banks of monitors before him. "Grab the detonator, would you?" Advena nodded and rummaged through the bag, retrieving a small remote with several small switches lining its face, passing it to her human as he keyed commands into the consoles. "Okay, I've overridden all the doors, lights and cameras in this section; we should have a clear route to both the brig and director's office. Now, we'll only have about half a minute until they trace the commands back here, so might as well cause some chaos right?"

Advena would have rolled her eyes had she possessed any, but instead had to settle for huffing at his attitude. He was enjoying this too much, and the way he was treating her as if she hadn't been there while they had planned the whole thing was getting on her nerves a bit. Jake flicked the switches one by one, and the duo could feel a slight vibration in their skulls as the station rocked from the force of the explosions. "Bye-bye long-range communications, armoury and crew quarters access." Advena whacked the device out of his hands.

" _Don't be such a child. We're going to have company in a couple of minutes_."

"Well, go on then. Someone's opening the Sector Seven airlock, so I'll need a minute to deal with this." Advena huffed again and dutifully concealed herself above the outer room's entryway, ready to ambush any security teams who felt brave enough to challenge them. Jake gritted his teeth, almost regretting the fact he'd just shut all the security cameras off, but then again, that would do worlds of good for Advena's stealth capabilities. Jake glanced at the console, and confirmed that the inner door was sealed shut, but the outer door hadn't opened yet. Whoever was in there may not have gotten their suit from the EVA cabinet within yet. Then a voice buzzed over the console's radio.

"Hello? This is Tyler Doelle. The long-range communications dish has been disabled, and I need access to the EVA cabinets to perform an emergency repair. Substation Seven, please assist."

"Tyler, it's me, Jake. I don't have access to the cabinets. Get somewhere safe before the attackers reach you."

"Jake? I – No, I can crack the keypad. Give me a minute."

"Are you sure? That's some advanced stuff. Maybe you should just wait for a professional?" Jake tried desperately, his finger hovering over the door controls. The airlocks couldn't be locked down for obvious safety reasons, but they could be opened remotely. A bead of sweat rolled down his face when Tyler didn't respond for a moment.

"No, I've got this. I'll have it open in a minute," he grunted, apparently putting a fair amount of effort into the task at hand.

"Shit," Jake muttered to himself, throwing a guilty glance at Advena, who was tossing some flailing bodies against the wall. "Sorry kid." He grimaced, hesitating for precious seconds as fleeting doubts crossed his mind. This was Tyler; the man who worked closely with them, looked out for them, and cared for them as friends. Then he hit the button. The outer door grated open in the airlock, and Jake tried not to picture the scene unfolding within. "Tyler… Tyler can you hear me? We had a door malfunction. If you can hear me, please, respond…" Silence. Jake rubbed his eyes warily, biting his lip as he turned to Advena, who was ducking through the doorway.

" _Is all well?_ " she inquired.

"Yeah, let's get going to the brig."

Jake gave the consoles one last, searching look, before shaking his head and jogging after his alien companion. He could question his morals and mourn his friend later; he still had a mission to complete.


	10. Chapter 10: Revolution

**A/N: Yes, Advena has been playing Halo, amongst other games. I'm glad someone caught that reference.**

Jake pushed off the wall and sent a flying kick into a marine's head, crushing their skull between his sole and the wall, before landing, sweeping his feet beneath the closest soldier's legs, knocking them over and allowing Advena's claws to sink into their chest when she landed on the floor to take off in a sprint. The Xeno performed a perfect front flip, avoiding the wall of lead from a shotgun as her tail whipped through the air, cracking down on a foe's neck while one hand fired her rifle into two more enemies, a grenade flying out her other clawed hand.

Jake used her back as a launch pad, flying over her head and smacking into the rifleman who had been lining up a killing blow with his weapon. He whipped up his own Pulse Rifle and sprayed the group of soldiers approaching from the west corridor, covering his face with his arm as Advena's grenade went off in the distance, sending bodies flying in every direction.

"Okay, move up!" he yelled. Parker jogged out from his hiding place in a doorway and snatched up a shotgun. "Come on, we're going to drop you off in security station four, then we're going after the director. You stay put until we come get you, got it?" Parker nodded, seeing no reason to argue, and the three of them continued running down the endless identical corridors, only stopping abruptly when something caught their eye through one of the large windows they passed.

"What the hell…?" Parker muttered as they stepped closer to peer through the glass. Through the broad window, they could see into another part of the station, separated by an expanse of the cold vacuum of space. In the corridor beyond, they could see a familiar Marine general yelling soundless orders to a group of soldiers as they engaged another group of soldiers in a firefight. What surprised them most, however, was when Jeica stood and waved her arm in a chopping motion, prompting a flurry of midnight black bodies to shoot past her into their attackers.

"Well, we can scratch freeing the Xenomorphs off our to-do list," Jake breathed.

" _It seems our friends are full of surprises. If Jeica has joined us, perhaps you were too quick to judge Tyler too?_ " Jake felt a pang of guilt churn his stomach, and only nodded weakly.

"Y-yeah. Let's hurry up and get this guy to the security station. Looks like we're going to need a bigger ship too."

" _Actually,_ " Advena put in, " _I think I have the perfect one in mind. Forget Substation Four, I've got a better idea…_ "

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"OORAH!" the cheer came up as weapons were thrust into the air. Jeica slapped a fresh clip into her Pulse Rifle and grinned. This felt damn good. As soon as she'd heard that Jake was rampaging through the station, she picked up a rifle and stirred up some trouble of her own. She had no idea what the Elite's plan was, but she sure as hell was gonna get in on it. But first…

She set her rifle down on the console of Substation One and plopped herself into the seat. Pressing her finger to the intercom controls, she input her override key and set to broadcast to the entire station.

"Attention marines, as many of you are aware, Sergeant Jacob Harlor is leading the fight against the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. With the Xenomorphs as our allies, we have a chance to strike down the corrupt bastards on this station, so if you want to give freedom a chance, take up a weapon and rid your armour of the Weyland patch. Everyone wearing blue is considered an ally of the cause, so fight by your comrades' sides and take this station!" She grabbed a length of blue cloth and tied it around her shoulder, before promptly smashing the console and rallying her troops. "Forward marines! Let's take the director's office!"

"Let 'em have it marines!" another cried, and the rabble of freedom fighters charged down the corridors, the combined might of their firepower and the Xenomorphs' natural deadliness had their enemies fleeing and attempting their final stand in Lenex's foyer.

Jeica rolled into a garden bed, covering her ears as a grenade went off, followed by the war cries of soldiers. Sniper shots rang out from concealed positions in plantations and gunfire rattled everywhere. All around her, Xenomorphs were leaping off vertical surfaces, flying head-first into the enemy, some getting torn to pieces by gunfire, others attaching themselves to groups of soldiers and tearing into them.

A Xenomorph drone slid to a halt beside her and seemed to stare at her for a few seconds amongst the chaos. Slowly, it reached out and touched her chest, bowing its head to her. Jeica felt her heart flutter as her open palm gently touched its domed head. No, _his_ domed head. Jeica shook the unsettling feeling of déjà vu from her bones and hurdled the low wall, thumping into the mulch below. The Xenomorph leapt onto the roof, following along above her. Suddenly, a rush of energy flooded her body, her heart thumped wildly and time seemed to crawl to a snail's pace. She could hear the blood thumping in her veins, see the vapour trails from bullets whizzing around her, smell the acrid scent of spent gunpowder and super-heated lead.

She spun a circle, kicking two enemies in the face, planting her foot and using her momentum to pivot, letting loose a torrent of bullets into a crowd of enemies. She suddenly dropped into a crouch, the Xenomorph from earlier landing above her, inches short of slamming into her painfully. The Xeno's tail whipped out, smacking a Pulse Rifle out of a nearby marine's hand, which Jeica caught and handed to him lightning fast. Unthinkingly, she grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be twirled gracefully out of the path of a sniper shot, following up with a burst of gunfire at her assailant when the movement ended.

"Mozart," she whispered. She could feel it. This Xenomorph was the voice from her dreams, the one who liked to play soft classical music in their little dream cottage, earning himself the nickname. The Xenomorph gave a single nod, slipping her pistol out of her holster and shooting a marine who had been sneaking up behind him through the heart without even looking.

Jeica tensed as she prepared to be grabbed by the hand and spun in a wide circle. Her enhanced senses allowed her to fire off quick, accurate bursts between her legs even as she was spinning fast enough to keep her body on a horizontal. Mozart suddenly let go, sending her sailing towards the other end of the room, where she grabbed someone's head on the way past, snapping their neck with her momentum and causing his shot to go wide, hitting one of his own teammates. Then Mozart reappeared next to her and cradled her in his arms before she could collide with the wall, setting her down gently next to a small, out-of-the-way door. Lenex's office. Jeica tilted her rifle, which she promptly dropped after reading the twin zeroes on the ammo counter. She accepted her pistol back from Mozart, slipping a fresh bullet into the cylinder of the revolver to replace the fired shot. As her adrenaline wore off, she was suddenly left with a rather empty feeling, and the noises bled into one another once more, time returning to its frantic, chaotic mess of activity.

Shaking the feeling of longing from her heart, she smashed the door control panel open, and hurriedly ran a bypass, ignoring the screams of pain as Mozart flung the bodies of potential threats into the walls, floor and ceiling violently. The door swished open, and with one final nod to her friend, she stepped inside the lavish office.

She was startled when all the ruckus of the battle outside seemed to dull. Soundproofing. Advanced stuff judging by the fact the door was still open. It was for this reason that she could hear the quiet voice of Director Lenex as he greeted her.

"Ah, hello General Smith. I see you've picked your side." Jeica's arm snapped up, and she trained her weapon on her antagonist.

"A side I should have picked a lot sooner. Guess I was just scared to do what's right – but now I've got Jake around. Him and the Xenomorphs, with them we have a chance to stop you and the people you work for." Lenex chuckled and stepped closer to her. Jeica shook her pistol threateningly, but Lenex just shrugged it off and stooped down to retrieve a crystal decanter from the coffee table between them, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"Want some?" he inquired. Jeica's face contorted in disgust, not caring for the game he was trying to play. But she was caught off-guard when that fancy glass was hurtling at her face, shattering against her cheek and leaving dozens of tiny cuts on her face. Before she could recover, the coffee table was slamming into her shins, and she toppled over, her gun flying from her grasp. Lenex dived for it, but Jeica rolled over and grabbed his leg, yanking him back and causing him to thump onto the ground painfully. He grunted and kicked her, squirming out of her grasp and snatching up his decanter. He smacked her across the face with it, then his next strike was caught by Jeica, who smacked his pseudo-weapon into his own chin and kicked his stomach with both feet, making him flop onto the floor a couple of metres away.

Jeica quickly got onto all fours and stumbled over to where her weapon was lying on the floor, but was cut short when a gloved hand beat her to it. Soon, she was staring down the barrel of her pistol, raising her hands in the air and backpedalling against the far wall. And there he stood, in a full EVA Space suit, minus the helmet, sweaty hair matted to his forehead and a hurt scowl on his face.

There stood Tyler Doelle.

"T-Tyler, I'm on your side. Quickly, kill Lenex before it's too late." Tyler shook his head and bit his lip sadly.

"You know, I don't think that's true. I think you're on _his_ side."

"I'm not with Lenex!" Jeica insisted. "I'm –"

"Not Lenex you idiot!" the young scientist snapped. "The guy who tried to kill me. Your friend, Jacob Harlor."

"Tyler?" Jeica was pleading now. It couldn't be true. After all he had been through, Tyler was still taking Weyland's side on this? Lenex laughed and clapped his hands together heartily, stepping towards him with a beaming smile.

"Ah, my dearest Tyler, I'm so proud of –"

"Stop!" Tyler screamed, snapping the gun in his direction. Lenex did as he was told, stopping dead in his tracks and thrusting his hands into the air immediately. Tyler's chest was heaving; he was stressing. Stressing and mentally unstable; not a good combination for anyone. Lenex took a couple of steps back, exchanging a nervous glance with Jeica. "You are a vile man. Don't get me wrong, I hate Weyland-Yutani, I hate everything you stand for, I hate this god-damned station and I hate all the people on it. You corporate bastards are disgusting and evil; I would like nothing more than to see you all wiped off the face of the galaxy."

Lenex's face fell. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so confident. "But, Jeica… Jeica you idiot. Do any of you realise what you're doing? This doesn't just magically end when you leave this station. You're starting a war. A war in which people will get hurt and die. You're taking away lives with your stupid games, and all it's going to get you is more death and destruction. You can't beat Weyland. You will fail eventually, maybe in one year, maybe in ten, but you're all going to die. I for one am not going to join such a pointless cause, even if it is the right thing to do. The smart thing to do would be to stick with Weyland, and just let them do their thing. That way, nobody gets hurt, see?"

"Tyler, people _are_ getting hurt, by Weyland. In experiments, as test-subjects, as a method of removing competition," Jeica argued.

"We can change that," Tyler insisted. "Things can change, maybe not drastically, but little by little we can make the difference. We don't need to throw people's lives out the window for this. There is a peaceful solution here, I can feel it."

"Listen to your heart Tyler!" Jeica cried.

"You're a smart man Tyler. Listen to logic – the Corporation can always use more bright minds like yours."

Logic. Righteousness. Logic. Righteousness. Tyler felt himself trembling slightly as the barrel of his weapon darted from individual to individual. Suddenly, he froze, his internal dilemma ceasing.

"No!" he screamed. "Not now!" He clutched his head, and Jeica and Lenex's eyes met for a second. They both dived at Tyler, going for the gun, but the young man suddenly sidestepped and kicked Lenex away. He stepped over the director's body, mouth set in a hard line, and aimed his pistol. The ragged, stressed breathing had slowed to an even, calm pace, and the wild uncertainty had faded from his eyes. This was not Tyler anymore; it was Sal.

But just as his finger squeezed the trigger, his arm flung out to the side, shot going into the wall a metre away from its target and Tyler stumbled across the room, gun arm waving around wildly and cracking off two more shots.

Finally, he found his footing and immediately put Jeica in his crosshairs. The frantic, crazy man was back, looking even less sane and even more dangerous than ever before.

"You-you-you LIAR! TRAITOR!" he screamed hysterically. "You-you knew! YOU KNEW! YOU AND JACOB KNEW ALL ALONG!" Jeica tried glanced behind her, realising she was a quick dash away from the door. She made her escape, but was cut short when a searing pain shot up her leg. She collapsed onto the floor, ears ringing in the aftermath of the gunshot being discharged in such a confined space. "YOU CRUEL, DISGUSTING MONSTERS!" He sobbed uncontrollably, shoulders shuddering with emotion as he advanced on Jeica's prone form. "You let me think that I was fucking crazy this entire time. You made me think that the voice in my head wasn't real… you… you knew all along that Sal was a XENOMORPH!"

Jeica's breath hitched as she stared up into those hurt, betrayed eyes. Tyler's finger tightened on the trigger, and Jeica thought she was gone. But Sal came back with a vengeance, attempting to body-switch once more. Tyler's arm jerked off-target, the bullet hitting the durable, bullet-proof door, causing the bullet to ricochet and slam into Tyler's side. He gave a choked yelp of pain and hit the ground hard, rolling across the cold floor and clutching his side.

Jeica groaned and picked herself up, cursing when she spotted Lenex fleeing out the door. She tried to sprint out after him, but gritted her teeth and slowed to a halt just outside his office, the pain in her leg leaving her immobile as she took deep, troubled breaths. She shut her eyes for a moment, blocking out the sounds of battle in her isolated corner of the foyer. When she opened them again, she cursed foully and could only watch Tyler limp out the door into the corridors beyond, gun hanging loosely at his side. The six-shooter only had one bullet left in it, but the scientist had surprisingly good aim. Jeica prayed he wasn't going after Jake with that last shot.

Jeica just sat and watched for the next few minutes, as the battle wound down with only a few loyalist survivors kneeling in the centre of the room, unarmed with their hands clasped behind their heads firmly. She felt a warm, comforting presence approach, and outstretched her hand. Mozart arrived on the scene a second later, and nuzzled her open palm warmly, giving a purr of greeting. He then picked her up gingerly, clutching her to his chest bridal style, and carried her to the centre of the room, where the Resistance fighters and Xenomorphs were gathering.

"Damn, guess I missed the party," a smart-ass, unmistakable voice remarked. Jeica sighed and smiled, turning to give her friend a hug.

"Jake," she greeted him. "Advena." The Xeno nodded back to her politely, before returning to her survey of the room. "Lenex got away. So did Tyler – he's real pissed too, by the way. Apparently Sal was a Xenomorph this whole time, and he thinks we were lying to him."

"Shit," Jake cussed, running a tired hand through his hair. "Advena…"

" _You kept insisting that it was a normal thing for humans!_ " she protested angrily. " _Besides, nothing about this makes any sense. Sal shouldn't have been able to manipulate their Bond like that, and he shouldn't have even wanted or needed to. I don't understand how or why he did it._ "

" _I can explain later,_ " an unfamiliar male's voice cut in telepathically. Advena and Jake both turned as a Xenomorph Runner strode over to them, fidgeting uncertainly. Advena suddenly lowered on her haunches and growled, bristling aggressively.

" _Sal!_ " she snapped. " _How dare you! You sit down right now and explain to me –_ "

" _Not now,_ " Sal, the newcomer, argued. " _My Host is still out there, and I need to find him before we leave this place._ "

" _We're coming with you,_ " Advena growled. Then, in a voice that seemed quieter, whisper-like, " _This vermin doesn't deserve our trust, Jacob. We must keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't hurt Tyler._ " Jake blinked, then realised what had happened. Advena had done one of them private conversation things, where only he could hear her. He took careful note of how that felt for future reference, and followed placidly along behind his seething Xeno, with Sal leading the way. It was obvious that Advena was highly offended by the way Sal treated Tyler, and Jake felt like he could only understand the very surface of why that was. Before he could step out into the corridors beyond, he remembered to quickly toss over his shoulder:

"Jeica, head to docking port eighteen – Lieutenant Parker has us a ship there." Jeica arched an eyebrow in surprise at his choice of ship, before shaking her head and turning to organise her troops.

" _He's injured,_ " Sal whimpered as they jogged through the white-washed corridors, nose pressed to the ground so as to inhale the metallic tang of blood. They burst into the mess hall, which was in ruins due to a battle which had taken place there. Tables were flipped on their sides, bullet holes littered the walls, furniture and ceiling, and bodies and military gear littered the floor. Sal paused outside the kitchen door and threw a pleading look over his shoulder, receiving a cold glare from Advena. Clearly she had no intention of giving him the privacy he desired. The trio carefully nudged their way through the doorway, into the preparation room beyond.

The walls and a small 'island' in the centre of the room were lined with cooking facilities; sinks, counters, utensil racks and cupboards. From where they stood, Tyler was nowhere to be seen, so they took extra caution around cupboards large enough to conceal a body, throwing the doors open at random to avoid an ambush. They edged their way around the centre island, ready to check the other side of the room, and there he was. Sitting with his back pressed against the base of the workstations, Tyler resided with a knife clutched in his pale, shaking hands while his blood-soaked shirt dripped crimson liquid onto the tiled floor. He leapt to his feet when he was discovered, waving his weapon at them threateningly.

"L-leave me alone you bastards!" he sobbed. "Just leave me alone! I don't want any part in this stupid fighting!" Jake took a step towards him, one hand raised in a calming motion. Tyler took a troubled step back to compensate, not letting Jake get any closer than he already was.

"Easy, easy," Jake soothed. "We're here to talk."

"There's nothing _to_ talk about," Tyler spat angrily. "I don't want anything to do with you lot."

"But you _know_ the Corporation is evil, Tyler. You've shown it time and time again. What about your big 'don't trust the Corporation' speech you gave me a couple of months back?"

"What, that?" Tyler seemed genuinely surprised for a moment, clearly having forgotten he'd even said that. "That was just me panicking after I found out the outbreak which got me impregnated wasn't an accident. But after I actually took the time to think about it, I realised nobody got hurt. They took precautions, Jacob. They don't hurt people unless they do something stupid – like initiate a coup in one of their stations."

"And what about my parents?" Jake snapped, "What did they do to deserve getting murdered at their work station? What did my team do to deserve being sent on a suicide mission?" Tyler narrowed his eyes, but couldn't formulate a response to that one. "And what about Alex? Is this what she would have wanted? Did she deserve to –"

"You have no right to say their name!" Tyler screamed. Jake opened his mouth to reassure his terrified and enraged friend, but was cut off by the realisation that he had vastly underestimated the man's remaining strength. Tyler lunged, the glinting blade of his knife hurtling right for Jake's throat. Jake felt terror, and panic. His mind slipped into Advena's, and together they stared at the glinting blade, hearts racing as they were far too caught out by surprise to react fast enough. But before Tyler reached his destination, he suddenly crumpled into Sal's arms, weapon clattering to the floor uselessly. Sal gingerly shifted the human's weight so he was carrying him more comfortably, staring worriedly at his wounds. To Jake's disbelief, the young man was unconscious.

"Whoa – what the hell just happened?" he demanded, still blinking away the fact he was still alive. Advena let out a shuddering breath of relief and hugged him tightly, as if reaffirming herself that he was still here and alive.

" _It's a… conditioning of sorts. He used to have trouble getting to sleep, so I'd give him a little help when he needed it. Eventually, his brain formed an automatic response to certain telepathic stimuli, so now I can just… put him to sleep. Whenever I like,_ " Sal explained, visibly shaken by his Host's desperate act of violence.

" _Why you disgusting, vile piece of –_ " Advena began snarling, but was cut off by a firm hand pressing against her chest.

"He saved my life, 'Vena. Show a little gratitude." Advena hissed in disdain for a moment, then hung her head and slinked out the doorway, leaving Jake and Sal to exchange a worried look, before they turned to follow her. They had a ship to launch, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Soundlessly, the docking clamps released, detaching one by one along the hull of the ship. Airlocks slid shut and locked up tight, umbilical tethers retracting slowly, severing the connection which had held the _ERRV Merciful Indictor_ to the _Reveles_ station. And just like that, a military-outfitted Emergency Response Rescue Vessel was stolen right from the hands of the single biggest corporation in the galaxy. The thrusters flickered and ignited, causing the ungainly-looking oblong ship to veer away from its dock, slowly swinging its backside around so as to allow it to face the station. Its weapons systems glowed for a moment, before exploding into action, sending volleys of missiles and barrages of heavy shells. The station buckled and shattered, spewing out debris as it was torn to pieces. Then, the 'Indictor slowly twisted its bulky body in the opposite direction and abruptly burst forward, disappearing into the starry expanse of space.

Jake stepped into the bridge of the Merciful Indictor, making more than a few heads turn away from their stations in order to watch him stride down the middle of the room, right up to the enormous glass cockpit. Jeica stood at the ship's head, hands clasped firmly behind her back as she stared into the vacuum before them. However, she turned when she heard Jake's approach, accompanied by the soft pitter-patter of Advena, ever present at his side.

"Well, we did it," she announced, almost in disbelief. "We shoved the middle finger right in Weyland's face, stole their shit and blew up their space station. Though logic dictates that some of the personnel would have survived seeing as we only shot up one side."

"I'll take the victory nonetheless," Jake chuckled, resting an absent-minded hand on Advena's head, rubbing her dome gently. "Has our good friend given you the coordinates yet?"

"Yeah, but he says this hunk of junk could take days, maybe even weeks, to get there. So for the time being, the bridge is yours, Captain."

"Me?" Jake guffawed. "I'm hardly a leader, Jeica."

"Perhaps not, but you _are_ an idol. People are looking up to you. The man who played Weyland's pet, then spat one of their suits in the eye. The man who befriended the Xenomorphs. The man who launched an attack against Weyland and got us free from their clutches."

"What low standards these people have." Advena snorted in amusement at his remark, and Jeica just rolled her eyes.

"Regardless of rank, people are looking to you for purpose; leadership. Just a heads-up for when we have to settle down on some planet as our base of operations."

" _Do not feel so glum,_ " Advena chided him. " _The Xenomorphs of the space station have been without a queen for quite some time. As the first Xeno to make positive contact with humans, they're looking to me for guidance. Just know that you're not alone_."

" _Of course I know that,_ " Jake cooed, rubbing her jaw affectionately. " _I know I'll always have you at my side._ " Jake flinched suddenly when an insistent, whining beep began sounding repetitively, alongside a flashing red light on the console beside him. He groaned and checked the console, only to find a diagnostic informing him somebody was trying to access an all-purpose shuttle without clearance. He tapped into the camera, and got a good view of the shuttle's entry hatch, as well as the young scientist fiddling with its circuits.

The bridge door hissed open, and a panicked Xenomorph burst inside, screeching frantically.

" _I've lost sight of Tyler! One minute he was sleeping, I go get something to eat, and then he's gone!_ " Sal exclaimed. " _We need to find him before –_ "

"Calm down, he's right here, in the shuttle bay," Jake sighed, gesturing to the screen.

" _The shuttle bay?_ " Sal screeched. " _You mean you're letting him fly away?_ "

"Of course not. Those things are connected to the ship's mainlines; he can't release the shuttle without clearance from here, the bridge. No doubt he knows that, so my best guess is that he plans on setting up shop in there."

" _But why would he want to claim that thing as his personal space? Wouldn't one of the single occupant quarters be more suitable?_ " Jake sighed and stepped over to the holo-table in the middle of the bridge area, bringing up some schematics on the projector. The rotating 3D image displayed a small vehicle about twice the size of a large bus and a plethora of features.

"It's built for long-haul missions as a mobile base of sorts. It's got everything you need to sustain yourself for months on end; kitchen, water storage, power, bathroom, bunk room – even a small recreation room. On top of that it has storage facilities, maintenance tools and some small all-atmosphere weapons. Right now it's hooked into the ship's mainlines, which means he'll have everything he needs as soon as he stocks up the storage area. Perfect for someone who wants to cut himself off from the rest of the crew, especially considering the fact it's built to sustain small arms fire and most breaching tools. So we ain't getting in unless we know the codes, which he just undoubtedly changed."

" _Oh. So… we just leave him?_ " Jake nodded patiently.

"If he wants privacy, let's give it to him. I'm too tired to deal with this shit right now."

"Captain's quarters are down the hall, second door on the right," Jeica informed him. Jake nodded, thanked her, then slowly swept out of the room, Advena trudging along behind him as always.

" _Mental abilities taken a lot out of you, hmm?_ " Advena hummed. Jake just nodded and sighed.

"And thinking. Thinking about what we've just done, and what it means for our future. For now though, we have all the time in the galaxy, so I'm going to take a warm shower, watch a romantic movie, then go to bed. You're welcome to join me."

" _In which activity?_ " Advena smirked to herself at her own smart remark, and was surprised when Jake answered:

"All three if you like." Advena obviously stayed silent for too long, because Jake chuckled and rubbed her neck affectionately. "What? You've already been _in_ my body; it's not as if I'm hiding anything from you by wearing clothes." Advena snickered, neglecting to mention she had politely decided against studying his body whilst she had controlled it.

" _How right you are. It sounds like an excellent plan to me, Sir._ "

"Oh cut it out. I'm pretty sure if killing your fellow soldiers and blowing up half your employer's station isn't considered an official resignation, nothing is." Jake stepped up to what was to be his quarters, and the door swished open for him. He waved his thanks to the corridor camera and swept his arms in an 'after you' gesture. Advena chuckled and padded on inside, slowly sweeping her gaze around the room as she did so. It was similar to their old quarters on the station, just with the kitchen replaced by a bigger living room area. TV, coffee table, comfy couch with two arm chairs arranged neatly beside it, and even a nice painting hanging on the back wall.

The bedroom sported a luxury double bed, a small desk, a standing cupboard for clothes and a door leading off to the bathroom. Jake smiled broadly at the large shower that stood stoically within, already shrugging off his shirt in preparation. Advena darted in before him, hopping from foot to foot excitedly. Thus far, she had refused to set foot in a shower for fear of breaking something or not knowing how to use it, but now she seemed like she couldn't get in fast enough. Jake could guess why, and the thought made him smirk knowingly.

The wall of warm water crashed over Jake, causing him to relax and sigh in delight. He closed his eyes and simply let the water run over his body for a moment, before the soft splashing of tentative feet brought him back to reality. Jake motioned his companion over and nabbed one of them shower sponges from a small shelf set into the wall next to the temperature controls. She obliged, stepping under the flow of water and allowing the glistening moisture to cascade over her midnight black skin. Jake gently guided her to face away from him and soaped up the sponge.

Advena stiffened, then slowly eased up and began purring as Jake gently covered her body in suds, massaging her shoulders with the soft sponge and slowly working his way down her back, taking extra care around the scars where her back spines had once been. He worked his way down to her hips, laughing lightly at the squeak she made when he rubbed the base of her tail – must be a sensitive spot. He finished off by letting her bony tail slip through his sponge-clad hand, leaving behind a trail of soapy bubbles which were quickly rinsed off by the shower's warm spray.

Advena awkwardly turned to face him, tucking all her limbs towards herself to avoid bumping them against the glass cubicle walls, and flashed him a grin. Jake leaned in and ran that sponge down her domed head, down her chin and across her neck. She cooed softly when he ran small circles on her flat, bony chest and down to her stomach.

" _Wow… you're really good at this. How many women have you had in a shower with you?_ " Advena jibed.

"Including you? That brings me to a grand total of… one." She giggled her stuttering hiss at him, then thrust her head into his chest, demanding the attention of his hands. Jake relented, stowing the sponge away in favour of cradling her head and running his hands over her soft skin. The Xeno relaxed visibly and, with a contented sigh, shut out everything in the world that wasn't her human companion or the delightful trickles of water running down her spine.

" _Mmm… my turn now…_ " she murmured eventually, grudgingly pulling her head out of his grasp. Jake raised an eyebrow, but didn't protest when Advena gripped his shoulders and guided him to where she had just been standing. She smirked to herself and plucked the sponge from where the human had left it, giving it a rinse and fresh dosage of soap before putting it to work.

Jake let her knead the stress from his shoulders – being extra gentle around his disfigured left shoulder – and it took mere seconds to realise she wasn't even trying to wash him, but merely making excuses to give him a massage. Fine by him. Advena leaned in closer, pressing her body against his and slowly trailing her hands down his sides seductively.

"Ah! Keep it PG please," Jake interrupted.

" _Jacob, we're naked in a shower together._ "

"R-16 then."

" _You're such a child._ "

"The worst part is, you know you love it." Jake patted her head, laughing at her pout and switching the water off. "Now, let's get dry and watch a movie, shall we?" Advena bobbed her head and stepped out into the steamy bathroom, allowing Jake to give her body a much briefer rub-down with a towel. She almost managed to sneak in an extra grope, but Jake beat her to it and towelled himself off, denying her the pleasure with a coy smirk. Once Jake had pulled some clothes on, they both settled down on the couch, lying in one another's arms. They only ended up watching half the movie before giving up and simply going to bed, with Advena spending ten minutes fussing over the blankets in an attempt to recreate her nest, before finally allowing them to lay down inside.


	11. Chapter 11: Surrounded by Idiots

**A/N: Thanks Kellise, the shower scene should now no longer feature aliens being rubbed with small potatoes.  
In other news, I have been asked a couple of times about the lemon. You can ****_probably_** **expect it in a couple of chapters' time, depending on how vigorously everything gets edited.**

Jake yawned and rubbed his eyes as he shuffled through the bridge doorway, dressed in some casual trousers and a plain white singlet which showed off his lean, muscular build. He raised an eyebrow at the familiar Xenomorph Runner curled up on the floor, body wrapped snugly around an unconscious human. Sal raised his head with an anxious attempt at a friendly smile, but only received a hostile snarl from Advena, which prompted him to jerk his gaze away and bow his head ashamedly. Jake sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he stared at the human who had been propped up comfortably against Sal's side.

" _He tried to sneak onto the bridge last night,_ " the Xenomorph explained quietly, still avoiding facing the duo. " _So I put him to sleep again, and he hasn't woken up yet…_ " Jake just shook his head at them and turned his attention to the rest of the control room. Four other people occupied the area; Jeica, sitting idly in the captain's chair, drumming her fingers against the armrest, and three other crewmembers ambling from console to console, glancing lazily at displays and otherwise just drifting through a zombie-like routine.

"Busy morning, huh?" Jake remarked. Jeica swivelled her chair to face him an offered a weak smile.

"Oh you have no idea. Earlier we engaged in a riveting tournament of Space Invaders. It was the only thing we could run on these damn computers without taking out critical systems." A second Xenomorph appeared suddenly, his head rising from the small dip below the captain's chair, where the pilots would be situated should the ship be operated manually.

"That one yours?" Jake asked idly as he plopped himself down in a nearby chair.

"Yeah. His name's Mozart. Kinda cheesy, I know, but I didn't exactly think he was real until yesterday. Coffee?"

"You've given him quite the name to live up to," Jake chuckled, accepting the offered beverage. "I expect to hear some Alla Turca in the future."

"Ella what-now?"

"You don't even know any Mozart?"

"Of course I do. He did like, Ode to Joy, Fur Elise and the Can Can, right? All the famous stuff." Jake facepalmed, and was about to make a sarcastic retort when yelling sounded from behind them.

"Get your filthy claws off me asshole!" Jake rubbed his temples and sighed miserably. Looks like Tyler had woken up. He and Jeica slowly made their way over to where Tyler was shoving his Xenomorph away angrily whilst attempting to storm out of the room, only to be blocked off by Sal once more.

" _Now just wait a minute –_ " Sal pleaded, before having to sidestep and take a few flimsy punches from his human. " _Won't you please just sit down and talk about this?_ "

"Why would I want to talk to any of you?" Tyler yelled, gesturing wildly at the other occupants of the room, bar the innocent bystanders, who were now only standing metres away. "The only one here who has any kind of common decency is Advena!"

"Tyler, please. You're being irrational," Jeica tried.

"Irrational?" he screamed hysterically. "You lied to me, manipulated me, betrayed me, took away my life, kidnapped me, and one of you even tried to kill me!" Jake bit his lip apprehensively, the guilt wafting from his mind causing Advena's head to snap over in his direction.

" _This is a good start,_ " Advena pointed out. She shot a suspicious look at her human companion before continuing. " _Why don't we go into a bit more detail. Like, pointing out who did what, for example._ "

"Ahaha – let's not," Jake insisted, giving his Xeno a reprimanding glare.

"No, no, it's fine by me. Let's start with Jeica, ay?" Tyler agreed. "Ordering her men to come and beat the living crap out of me, withholding information about my Xenomorph still being alive and letting me believe I was crazy."

"None of that is true," Jeica sighed.

"Sal! Lying to me for months on end, pretending it was all in my head, manipulating my thoughts and feelings, taking over my body without my permission, and fucking around in my head when I'm trying to work!"

" _Y-yeah… that's pretty much all true…_ " Sal admitted guiltily.

"And Jake. You knew. You knew everything about Xenomorphs, and still decided it would be funny to watch me run around, thinking I was crazy. And then you tried to shoot me out of a fucking airlock!"

"Half of that is a lie," Jake said defensively.

" _Oh yeah, that makes it a whole lot better,_ " Advena snapped.

" _Are you seriously taking his side on this?_ " Jake demanded telepathically.

" _Yes. And he can hear you, you know. Even if Sal managed to screw up everything else about his Bond, at least he was able to develop Tyler's mental abilities._ "

"And let's not forget!" Tyler continued. "That all of you played a part in destroying the peaceful existence I had finally managed to get my hands on with your stupid rebellion. And instead of letting me go and live out my life somewhere else, you kidnap me and drag me down with you! Now we're _all_ going to die when Weyland inevitably catches up to us." Tyler finally managed to shove past Sal, and stormed down the corridor.

"Sal, do me a favour and knock him out before he locks himself up in that stupid ship," Jake implored. Sal nodded ever so slightly and stared at Tyler's receding back. Seconds later, there was a thump as a body hit the floor heavily. Jake glanced down at Sal's unconscious form, then back up to the middle finger pointed at them, slowly disappearing down the corridor with the body it was attached to.

Advena snickered audibly, bringing a claw to her mouth in a half-arsed attempt at covering her smirk.

"What's the big joke?" Jake snapped.

" _Looks like Sal used his party trick one too many times; Tyler's figured out how to do it too. Serves that disgusting lout right._ "

"What is your problem with him anyway?" Jake demanded finally, placing his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow expectantly. Advena did a 'mental shrug' as Jake liked to call it; a mixture of minor disinterest and lack of knowledge being sent his way.

" _I guess Tyler summed it up pretty well. Sal took advantage of a relationship built on trust and respect. My kind despise people like him – those that mistreat their Bonded are not worthy of any other fate than dying alone, out in the cold. Sal's lucky he's just getting the cold shoulder thus far._ "

"Geez, that's a little harsh don't you think?"

" _Our entire society is based around working together and trusting one another. Sal is basically a criminal by our standards, like… like a rapist, or somebody with a history of domestic violence. Well, worse than that, seeing as his actions threaten our Hive's well-being. So picture a terrorist who enjoys blowing up houses, who also rapes innocent and vulnerable people, then goes home and beats his wife and children. That's Sal by our standards._ "

"Jesus Christ 'Vena," Jake whined, "that's pretty fucked up. Sure you're not exaggerating?"

" _Maybe a tiny bit. Nut now do you see why I don't particularly like him?_ "

"I guess. Still doesn't explain why you're taking Tyler's side on all of this. He's a deluded pessimist."

" _He's your friend,_ " Advena hissed. " _Or mine, at the very least. And you_ did _try to kill him, which you neglected to tell me, might I add._ "

"I know, I know," Jake confessed defensively, "and I'm not exactly proud of it. No need to keep rubbing it in my face. He was going to ruin our plans. He almost did ruin or plans – in fact, he secured Director Lenex an escape route – he _did_ ruin our plans."

" _So you'd just up and kill me if I got in the way of what you wanted?_ "

"Well, I mean… if you were hurting innocent people, then it would be my duty to stop you, one way or another," Jake murmured unconvincingly. Advena didn't know whether to be pleased or annoyed at the answer, and instead chose to huff and switch tactics.

" _Justified as your actions may be, so too are his. Tyler has had to deal with a lot in the past. Have some sympathy; you should know all about the limits of humans. How much they can take before they break._ "

"You sure seem to care about him a lot. You sure you wouldn't rather be _his_ girlfriend?" Jake jeered cheekily.

" _Hah! As if. Being a homosexual, I doubt Tyler would go for me,_ " Advena snickered.

"Wait wait wait, run that last bit by me again?"

" _I doubt Tyler would go for me?_ "

"Before that."

" _Being a homosexual?_ "

"Yeah, yeah that's what I thought you said. May I ask exactly how you came across this information?"

" _Well, it's rather obvious. I told you that Xenomorphs pick their Hosts with romantic relations in mind. When we are an embryo, we have no gender. We form a gender much later, a short time before we hatch, after we've had a chance to glean some of the more basic information from our Hosts, in the way of instincts. From there, we can tell what gender a person is attracted to._ "

"Okay, yeah, but haven't you ever heard of a bisexual?"

" _Yes, but any Xenomorph with a partner who is attracted to multiple genders will choose the heterosexual option. It makes, er, 'physical' romance easier. So the only reason Sal would be a male, is if Tyler was strictly homosexual._ "

"Oh my god…" Jake groaned as he slapped his forehead in realisation. "It all makes so much sense now… That's why Tyler was disowned by his parents. That's why he had to run away. He's gay."

" _I don't understand,_ " Advena admitted. There didn't appear to be a connection between the occurrences for her.

"It wasn't always like this; a few centuries ago, gay people were openly accepted. But following the high demand for colonists and the rapid expansion of humanity, we needed more _people_ to fill the void, and thereby more procreation. Gay people can't have kids naturally, so there was a campaign against them by people like Weyland; the ones running the colonies. Over the years, all their shitty propaganda worked for the most part, and now the general opinion on gay people is 'bad, shun them'. When Tyler's parents found out about their son's orientation, they must have been humiliated…"

" _That's awful…_ " Advena whined. Jake nodded grimly.

"Yeah. Some couples are let off because they adopt, or get a surrogate mother, but a gay pair without a kid… hoo boy." They sat in silence for a few minutes after that as Advena pondered this new information. Humans were so strange; fighting each other because one person calls themselves something, because they come from somewhere different, or because they liked things that others didn't. Xenomorphs only fought when survival was at stake; none of this petty rivalry nonsense. When a Hive didn't like the way they were being run, the Queen – or Empress, depending on the size – would step down from their position and allow a supposed superior candidate to take over. It seemed humans had a harder time getting along and letting go of power, if this Weyland War was anything to go by.

" _Ugh… what the hell… Oh, that sneaky little…_ " Sal's head suddenly jerked upright as he noticed he wasn't alone. " _Do you guys have any idea where Tyler went?_ " he inquired as he clambered woozily to his feet.

"I'd imagine back to his homey 'room' aboard the Multi-Purpose Shuttle," Jake opined disinterestedly. "Why? I'm pretty sure he's not in the mood to talk to you."

" _I, well, I retrieved some of his belongings for him, seeing as he was unconscious when everyone else was doing the same. There's a box of his stuff in the hold which I think he'd be grateful to have back._ "

"Yeah, good thinking. That'll score you at least half a point with him."

" _Jake…_ " Advena growled warningly.

"Okay, a quarter of a point." Advena glared at him. "An eighth?" She huffed in irritation and pushed past her human, coming face to face with Sal. The male Xeno shuffled back a few steps, but Advena matched his movements, ensuring she stayed uncomfortably close to him.

" _Keep in mind you do not deserve his forgiveness, vermin. Nothing you can do will ever make you worthy of forgiveness, but you will do everything in your power to try and earn it anyway. Are we clear?_ "

" _You don't need to tell_ me _that,_ " Sal snapped. " _I'm well aware of my own mistakes. Tyler is my Bonded, and I care for him more than anyone else in the universe, so step off my toes and let me do my thing._ " Advena harrumphed and relinquished her furious stance, opting instead to place herself on her haunches and watch placidly as Sal brushed out the room. It was only a few minutes later when he slunk back in through the doorway once more, plopping onto the floor ungracefully with a melancholy sigh.

"So, how'd that go?" Jake quipped snidely. He surprised himself with how much bite he put into his tone, and glared at an oblivious Advena.

" _He took the box and told me to 'fuck off'. I'm going to go ahead and say it went as well as it could have._ " Jake shrugged amusedly at the bitter Xeno. A nagging feeling in his gut told him he was enjoying this too much because of his Xenomorph's emotions bleeding through their link, but he supposed he'd better get used to things like that if they were to be mentally bonded for the rest of their lives.

"Hey," Jeica interrupted them as she strode over, placing a hand on Jake's shoulder to gain his attention, "people are gathering in the mess hall – Xenos and humans. Everyone's feeling a little uneasy going against Weyland like this, and befriending a previously enemy species; I think we would all really appreciate it if you could say a few words."

"I'm not a politician, Jeica," Jake reminded her, "I'm a –"

"Soldier, yes yes, we know. Just say something encouraging – they trust you." Jeica spared a glance at Advena, who was sitting attentively on her haunches still. "All of them."

"I didn't sign up for this," Jake sighed as he straightened his jacket. "Fine, let's go. Don't blame me if I just make things worse though – I was never good with speeches." Jeica flashed him a reassuring smile, before following him out the door.

" _You're nervous,_ " Advena pointed out as they walked. Jake recognised the tone and concluded she was speaking privately. He nodded slightly, trying not to gain the attention of the three other beings following them. " _If you like, I can help you out where I can. Send a few thoughts your way and such._ "

"Thanks," Jake muttered, "I appreciate it."

Advena and Mozart swept the double doors of the mess hall open, allowing Sal to quickly slink through and find a seat on his lonesome, and giving the entire room a clear view of the newcomers. The quiet murmur of conversation died down as all occupants of the vast space turned towards the door, watching intently as Jake and Advena slowly stepped inside.

Jake took a deep breath, then addressed the room loudly and clearly: "Soldiers, civilians and Xenomorphs. We are here today because we have a dream. We dream of a day where things can go back to the way they once were; back to the days of freedom, tolerance and acceptance. A day where every man, woman and child would watch out for one another, and speak freely. A day where we, the people, have the power once more. A day where we are free to be who we are and do as _we_ please. A day without the Weyland-Yutani Corporation breathing down our necks! We are here because we believe in a future we want to see our children growing up in. I'm not going to lie to you; this is not an easy path you have chosen. We will win some, and we will lose some. But today, today marks one of our greatest victories!"

Jake subconsciously puffed out his chest in pride as he gazed upon the fearless faces of the men and women in the room, nodding along to his words. "One small victory is all it takes! We've shown that Weyland _can_ be defeated! Weyland _will_ be defeated! We've shown that the people can have the power once more, that Weyland's strength comes from our weakness, so we must stand strong! Together – humans, Xenomorphs – the people of this galaxy – will come together and show those corporate bastards that our wills cannot be broken! We are one big family; a hive of warriors who will fight for a new era. Brothers and sisters in arms, we will rise as one, bonded by our visions of freedom!" Jake pumped a fist high into the air on his final sentence.

" _Together, we rise,_ " Advena agreed silently to everyone who could listen, stepping up beside her human and raising her fist in the same manner. The Xenomorphs in the mess hall screeched their war cries, raising their fists into the air, followed shortly by echoes from the humans. Jake grinned at the yells of determination, and slowly swept out of the room.

"Not bad," Jeica praised him. "You could make a pretty good commander one day."

"It's a shame most of them will be dead come a few weeks' time." Jake scowled and stopped in his tracks, clenching his fists angrily at that snobby remark. Tyler shrugged innocently and hefted the bag he was carrying. "Just passing through – don't mind me," he said dismissively.

"You are such an _asshole_ ," Jake declared.

"Says the man leading hundreds of innocent men and women to their deaths," Tyler retorted, not bothering to stop, instead just tossing his snarky remarks over his shoulder as he waltzed away.

"He knows something," Jeica decided, placing her hands on her hips and staring at the bend in the corridor down which Tyler had disappeared. "I swear that's more than just stubborn; he's not paranoid, he _knows_ something." She frowned at Jake's sceptical look. "I know you're not particularly fond of him, but we can't ignore that he just basically gave us a date. We should at the very least err on the side of caution and take inventory. I don't want to be caught off-guard by Weyland."

"Fine," Jake conceded.

" _I can try my luck with Tyler,_ " Advena suggested suddenly. Jake raised an eyebrow at her. Something about recent events clued him in to the fact that Tyler didn't feel like accepting visitors. " _He said it himself; out of all of us, I'm the one he has nothing against. I still value him as a friend, so I'm going to go pay him a visit. If there's anything you want me to ask him, tell me now._ "

"That's a very good idea Advena," Jeica exalted. "See if you can find out what he's so afraid of. It'd be nice to know what to expect." Advena nodded and jogged down the corridor after her conceited friend, knowing she would have no trouble catching up to him, especially with that injury in his side. She caught him a few corridors away from his shuttle, and gently nudged him from behind, knowing full well he hadn't heard her coming.

"Gah!" Tyler cried, whirling around too fast and tripping over his own feet. Advena caught him with an amused grin. He groaned and rolled his eyes, unable to keep the smirk from his lips. "Cool prank bro," he remarked drily, finding his way onto his feet again. He shouldered his backpack once more and continued on his way, with Advena keeping step. "So, what brings you here? Your psychopathic boyfriend employed you to capture me or something?"

" _The situation at hand hasn't allowed us to spend any time together,_ " Advena explained. " _I miss hanging out with you, Tyler. Maybe we can talk a bit too – I promise I won't spend the whole time trying to convince you to join us or anything. But I am curious as to your thoughts on this whole business; so far I'm only hearing one side of the story._ "

"Mm," Tyler agreed noncommittally as he tapped his code into the shuttle door. It hissed open, allowing them both to step inside. Advena hesitated for a moment, unsure as to whether she would be overstepping her boundaries, but her doubt was dashed away when Tyler lazily gestured her inside. Advena trotted through the doorway and hummed interestedly. Tyler had done his best to turn the rustic, bare ship into a homey apartment of sorts.

They entered through the airlock, which had a small storage area connected to it, packed with two racks lining either side, one equipped with four space suits, the other with some of Tyler's personal clothing and a long-barrelled weapon. Beyond the entryway, they came into a briefing room which was adorned only with a navigations table and four chairs. The table was cluttered with a few books, a coffee mug and a plate leftover from Tyler's breakfast. Three doorways led out of the small room, one leading into the recreation area, which is where the duo headed. Within, a pool table had been pushed into one corner, its balls and cues discarded in favour of a large box of belongings. A couch faced a small TV screen, and otherwise only a small coffee table furnished the room.

A doorway lined either side of the room, one leading through a slightly-ajar door and into a bunkroom with two bunk beds on either side. The other doorway is where Tyler dumped his bag, which spilled a few cans of food he'd obviously stolen onto the floor of a compact kitchen area. The borderline-claustrophobic spaces were incredibly efficient and obviously designed to take up as little space as possible, with certain features folding out of walls and such. Had Advena known what an RV was, this would have reminded her of one, just with a couple of wide open, decent-sized rooms thrown into the mix.

Tyler smiled fondly as he fished out a familiar object from his box of belongings. Lovingly wrapped in soft cloth was his gaming device – a 'Lexer' if she recalled. Tyler stiffly set the device up, before flopping down on the couch and patting the space next to him. Advena obliged him and hopped atop the surprisingly-comfy piece of furniture, accepting the offered controller. Tyler loaded up a simple shoot 'em up game, only really half paying attention.

" _Are you okay?_ " Advena asked, finally breaking the silence which had fallen. Tyler just shrugged without taking his eyes off the screen.

"I don't know what to think anymore. It was so much simpler before Jake came along; Xenomorphs were the bad guys, Weyland ruled everything unopposed, there wasn't really much of a choice. And now suddenly, there is. As much as I want to ignore it, with the Xenomorphs on their side, the Resistance has a chance. A tiny, miniscule chance; a million millions to one. But logically, that's not enough. Logically, Weyland is nearly guaranteed to come out on top, and all the Resistance is going to do is get themselves killed."

" _And what about emotionally? Which choice_ feels _like the right choice?_ "

"The choice which doesn't put me on the same team as the guy who tried to kill me, and the alien who mentally abused me and shot me with my own hand."

" _Guess I should have seen that coming,_ " Advena mumbled. " _You seem very certain that the Resistance is going to lose. Why?_ "

"To the general public, the Resistance is just a group of terrorists. Once these guys find out who they're destined to work for, chances are many of them will return to Weyland's side, then you'll find yourself with a much less impressive gathering and a nice blow to Jake's swollen ego. That also means that in the long run, nobody is going to join the Resistance so long as they're thrown in with the Insurrectionists, so Weyland will always outnumber you hundreds of millions to one. Not to mention everyone on this ship is going to die or get captured within a couple days of landing on this allegedly safe planet."

" _Excuse me?_ " Advena guffawed. " _Is Parker leading us into a trap?_ "

"Of course not," Tyler snorted. "Well, not on purpose. Once we land however, we'll be boxed in and the Weyland fleet that is no doubt hot on our heels will have no trouble picking us off from orbit. Once they decimate our defences, they'll send in an invasion force and torch the rest."

" _Tyler, I am so sorry, but you must understand that –_ "

"Go," Tyler dismissed her tiredly, "do what you must."

" _Tyler, thank you. You_ are _a good person. Don't let anybody tell you any different._ " For the first time during their entire session together, Tyler turned to face her. He wore a sad smile as he watched Advena hesitate after she'd hauled herself onto her feet, sparing a backwards glance to her human friend. She turned and ran back to him, nuzzling his chest comfortingly. Then she turned tail once more and hopped towards the door.

"And Advena?" Tyler called out suddenly. Advena waited patiently while the door hissed open, holding position in the doorway for Tyler. "Just one more thing before you go. I-I really hate Sal right now – the way he manipulated me, hurt me, lied to me. But, he was the only good thing that happened to me since I signed up with Weyland. He made me happy, he helped me when I was in trouble. He's an asshole, but he's done me lots of good too, so I just… don't know. If what I'm doing to him is right. Do you think I should try and talk it out with him?"

" _You are letting him off lightly as it is. Sal does not deserve your forgiveness; his mistreatment of you is disgusting by Xenomorph standards. I would recommend Bonding with a new Xenomorph._ "

"Thank you Advena, I really appreciate that you're always honest with me." Advena flashed him a shaky smile, then bounded out the door, already calling out telepathically to her human.

 **A/N: As a footnote, I'd just like to point out I'm not making any political statements here. It's aaaaaall fictional, and aaaaall plot devices, so let's not get mad/offended/upset and/or have a go at the author please. Thank you.  
As a side-footnote, I'd also like to add that the characters' views do not necessarily reflect my own – their beliefs are constructed to fit in with their experiences and personalities.**


	12. Chapter 12: Faulty Lines

Jake took another sip from his cold coffee cup and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Glancing at the clock on the desk next to his console screen, he sighed when he read '0412'. He'd been sitting here for hours and hours, staring expressionlessly into the flickering light of the screen. He had population counts, inventories, schematics and potential strategies for the defence of both the ship and their destination planet.

"Jacob? What the hell are you doing still up?" Jeica murmured, appearing behind his seat on the bridge, lieutenant's cap pulled down over messy hair. Had Jake's brain been functioning properly, he would have concluded Jeica was probably ashamed of serving with such valour under criminals and against an innocent species, hence the stepping down from her leader position.

"Planning. I think I've covered planetary defence, but –"

"Jacob, we've got weeks to prepare for that. Get some sleep for god's sake." Jake sighed and shut the screen off grudgingly.

"Okay, okay, I'll get some sleep. Come on 'Vena." Jake took a few steps towards the door, then stopped and turned around in confusion. Advena was still dozing soundly on the floor next to his seat, apparently oblivious to the world. Jake felt a pang of guilt for keeping her up that late, and suddenly remembered something Sal had mentioned a while back. He concentrated, and sure enough, easily slipped into Advena's body, lifting his head off the floor and cringing at the close call when his body slumped to the ground, only to be caught at the last second by Jeica.

"Ah, Advena. Er, Jake may have just passed out from exhaustion."

" _Nope, still me,_ " Jake informed her, gently taking his own body from her arms and clutching it to his chest. Wow, he was incredibly light in this body.

"Oh, that is _weird_ ," Jeica muttered. Jake chuckled and carried himself back to his room, where he curled up comfortably with his Xenomorph-occupied body in bed. Lazily, he drifted back into his own form once more, and allowed himself to drift off to sleep, still grinning tiredly at his little stunt.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Uuuuugh," Jake groaned dramatically. "She's making too big of a deal out of this." Advena giggled at him as he once more tried fruitlessly to guess the password to the bridge door. Jeica had locked him out, demanding that he take a couple of days off.

" _Well, it's not all bad. Maybe you and I can finally do some more romantic stuff together._ " Jake couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"You are such an opportunist. Fine, this stupid thing isn't opening, let's just grab some breakfast."

" _You mean lunch_ ," Advena corrected him. It was true; Jake had indeed slept in until the ship's equivalent of midday as a result of the morning's endeavours. He'd been doing a lot of that lately, it seemed, ever since he'd met Advena. He rolled his eyes and merely strode down the long corridor which would lead him to the mess hall. His lips curled into a proud smile when he stepped into the scene beyond. All around the room, humans were having active conversations with Xenomorphs, some tables having a designated telepath to relay information to the non-telepaths. It was a lot easier for the humans to Bond with Xenomorphs now that they knew what they were doing – the problem was finding out which Xeno went with which human.

The duo stepped around a playful wrestle between two Xenomorphs taking place in the middle of the floor, spectators shouting their encouragements and cheering their chosen alien on, and finally made it up to the canteen, where a middle-aged lady with a kind smile was lounging on the counter.

"What'll it be Mister Strong-and-Handsome Leader?" she jibed playfully. Advena bristled at the word 'handsome', but refrained from releasing a hostile hiss. Jake chuckled at the jealously drifting from her mind like a trail of smoke. Maybe they really did need to spend some more time together; she was getting antsy – perhaps even paranoid that he didn't love her.

"Watcha got?" he chuckled.

"Er, mashed potatoes, macaroni, crackers, green salad and some bacon strips."

"Bit of everything for me please. And you?" He directed the last part at Advena, who hummed in thought.

" _Respectful adjectives for peoples' boyfriends,_ " she decided finally.

"Bacon, potato and a little salad on the side for the lady," Jake told the kitchen hand.

"Coming right up. Oh, and don't miss breakfast tomorrow – we're cookin' pancakes."

"I'll try not to sleep in too late," Jake assured her with a chuckle. " _Did you just call me your boyfriend?_ "

" _Is that a problem?_ " Jake shook his head bemusedly and accepted his tray of food, Advena quickly following suit.

" _I guess I expected at least a day's notice before you decided we're a couple._ " Advena gave her signature victorious smile when that was all the argument he had, and the duo navigated towards the nearest unoccupied table so they could begin digging into their meal quietly. Minutes later, they were joined by two marines.

"Hey Cap," the male one of the two greeted Jake. He looked up at the speaker, and was surprised to see Lance Corporal Sitherland, and sitting next to him across the table from the duo was Corporal Piotra – two of the four other survivors from the bug hunt where Jake had been impregnated.

"Cap?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Y'know, 'Captain'. Cap. This is your ship, isn't it? Makes you captain."

"Well, sure I helped steal it, but I'm not the one running this thing," Jake corrected him. "Still, it's good to see you guys again. Not many people survived the mission…" Jake caught the quick glance which Piotra threw at Advena, grimacing when he felt the shame it caused his companion.

"But we all know that was Weyland's fault," Sitherland added. "We were just another experiment to them; meat to feed the Xenomorphs. Joke's on them though; the Xenos were good guys all along, and without them, we wouldn't be here." Still, it was obvious by their behaviour that they weren't fully comfortable around a creature which had slaughtered many people before, and it showed through in the way of nervous glances, fidgeting and awkwardly avoiding eye contact with Advena. It didn't help that neither marine had been impregnated, so there would be no Bond or telepathy to help sway them.

There was a sudden, piercing screech which rose above the racket of the mess hall, causing silence to fall like a heavy blanket as a solitary Xenomorph stumbled and tripped over furniture in its haste to get out of the room.

"What the hell…?" Jake muttered. He was no expert, but he had been beginning to notice physical differences in Xenomorphs – subtle things, like head shape, height, tail length and tip, postures, spines and body shapes. Enough to pick out Xenomorphs he was acquainted with. "Was that…?"

" _Sal? Yes, yes it was. Something tells me this has something to do with Tyler…_ " Jake sighed and quickly hurdled his chair, slowly warming up into a jog, then an all-out sprint to catch up to Sal. Not only was he a Xenomorph, but a Runner. That made him _really_ annoying to try – and fail – to keep up with. Advena led the way with her superior speed, bounding through the bridge door as Jake groaned. A panel had been unbolted from the wall, allowing access to the wiring beyond. The cables in question had been tampered with and fixed to a small bypass device, which was currently displaying a loading bar labelled '100%'. Once inside, he swore under his breath.

Tyler was stumbling backwards, clutching a bleeding hand to his chest and cursing lividly while Sal frantically advanced on him, trying desperately to soothe the young human. Meanwhile, Advena was low on her haunches, muscles tensed ready to…

"Oh no…" Jake groaned. Advena pounced, colliding with Sal forcefully and sending him crashing into a wall. "Advena!" he barked, but all he received in response was a haze of blood rage. Sal was too shocked to respond for a second, earning him a slash across the face, three deep grooves in his cheek now leaking sizzling blood.

" _I didn't hurt him!_ " Sal screeched defensively, holding his hands over his head in a pitiful attempt to shield himself. " _He took a swing at me and cut himself on my teeth!_ "

"Shut up you vile, lying, abusive scumbag!" Jake yelled. He couldn't stop himself, he wasn't in control of his body anymore. He struggled desperately with the boiling rage racing through his blood, mind clashing together with Advena's in an overpowering display of hate. He fell to his knees and clutched his head as Advena continued laying into the prone form of Sal, even as he screamed protests. Eventually, he realised Advena wasn't stopping and began fighting back. He shoved her off of him roughly and rolled onto his feet, whipping his tail up before him to sway threateningly. Advena jumped onto all fours and began circling, hissing aggressively, while Sal sidestepped to remain facing her. When it was clear she wasn't getting on his blind side, Advena simply leapt into him, clashing head-on.

There was more to her plan, however, as her momentum sent Sal crashing into the wall behind him, stunning him for precious half-seconds. Advena's tail whipped under him next, yanking his legs out and forcing him back onto the ground, allowing her to rake her claws down his back, tearing open his flesh and spraying acidic blood up the walls.

" ** _Stop it!_** " Jake yelled both mentally and verbally, but Advena refused to listen. She wrapped her tail around both Sal's wrists and roughly jerked his hands out of the action, giving her plenty of room to lunge at his throat. Advena squealed in surprise when Tyler suddenly appeared in front of her, palm outstretched desperately as he yelled something she couldn't make out over the thumping of her blood in her ears. She was going too fast to stop though, so it was all she could do to sheathe her claws and whip her body to the side. Her shoulder smacked into Tyler's, causing him to be thrown back into the wall, his face smacking against the hard surface. He yelled in pain as his skin became raw, stinging and burning with the acid which had been rubbed upon it. He clutched a hand to his cheek instinctively while he stumbled out of the room, tripping multiple times in his blind, pained panic.

The adrenaline drained out of Advena's system as she watched the horrific display, and finally Jake could shake the red spots from his vision and shakily get to his feet. Sal woozily stood on all fours and swayed unsteadily for two steps, before collapsing back onto the floor, green liquid still oozing slowly from his wounds.

"I need a medical team in the bridge… probably some engineers too. A couple of older Xenomorphs with a bit of know-how wouldn't hurt either. And could you please dispatch somebody to Tyler's location? Yeah, shuttle bay, ship seven – no doubt." Jake took his finger off his earpiece and heaved a heavy sigh. "This is a fucking nightmare," he groaned.

" _I – he was hurting Tyler!_ "

"Advena, you can't just try to murder somebody like that! Christ, are all Xenos like this? Because we need to have a serious talk." A group of humans, accompanied by two rather bulky Xenomorphs, suddenly bustled inside and immediately set to work, obviously not needing any guidance on their objectives. Jake placed his hand on Advena's back and firmly guided her out the door, mouth set in a grim line. Down the corridor and to the right, they ducked through a doorway with a spiralling staircase leading up, finally arriving in a cosy, circular room with a domed ceiling. It was made completely of transparent plating which allowed a view of the inky blackness beyond. Stars glittered merrily in the distance, seeming uncaring of the hardships of mankind and Xenomorphs alike. It was here that Jake sat his companion down on a comfortable padded bench seat, before flopping down beside her.

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose warily, sinking back into the soft, synthetic material with a weary exhale. They sat in silence for a few moments after that, their gazes slowly drifting upwards, into the stars.

" _I'm sorry I lost control,_ " Advena apologised finally. " _Things used to be simpler, back when humans were the bad guys. Now I'm not sure; I think all of you are my friends – You, Jeica, Tyler – but it's just… complicated. Humans hate me because I'm an alien, they're scared of me, despise me… I suppose it just gets to me._ "

"I don't hate you," Jake told her. "But I might be just a little scared of you." He chuckled after that and placed his hands on the seat either side of him. "I forget that you're not a solider like me; stress, pressure, emotions – I guess I'm just used to it all. You're a warrior, there's no doubt about that, but a solider? Maybe I should be giving us more time to spend together, relaxing. Anything to make sure today never happens again."

" _Well, we're here now, aren't we?_ " Advena placed her hand over his, and gave him a reassuring smile when he turned to face her.

"Yeah. We can sort all this out in the morning. Tonight, let's just spend some time together," Jake agreed.

" _I am worried about Tyler though. And Sal, I guess._ "

"In the morning," Jake reminded her. He pushed himself off the seat and stretched idly as his eyes searched the room. Finally, he spotted a set of speakers built for playing announcements, ambiance or scientific recordings. He slid a small chip from his shirt pocket and plugged it in to the device, prompting Advena to pad over and cock her head curiously. Softly at first, the music chimed in with a pleasant melody. Advena smiled at the so-called nice noise, which she had heard very little of since her first exposure all those years ago.

Jake held out his hand as a voice joined in on the words, and Advena accepted it hesitantly. Jake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled them together close, before rocking slowly to the rhythm. He began moving his feet, and the relaxing atmosphere soon had them stepping in sync as their minds slipped into togetherness. Their bodies and minds flowed as one to the beat, rocking and swaying, turning and spinning – 'Dancing in the Moonlight'. Well, starlight in this case, but the song certainly did have some charming relevancy to its chorus. As the twinkling gems in the sky shone their light upon the duo, they moved gracefully and swiftly, perfect and effortless choreography.

Too soon for the duo, the song began drawing to its close, and their motions slowed to a mere rocking once more. However, instead of letting go as Advena had expected him to, Jake reached up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in and pressing their lips together softly. Advena purred and leaned into the kiss, allowing her arms to leave their fixed positions and instead clasp his back comfortably.

It was at that moment Jake finally accepted his role in their interspecies relationship. He was kissing Advena, not because he felt the desire to do so, but because he knew it would make Advena feel worlds better than she was, and help her let go of the endless pile of problems they were to deal with. He knew he was willing to do anything to keep that smile on her face, that feeling of joy radiating from her mind, and if that wasn't love, then Jake didn't know what was.

He finally broke away and offered her a warm smile, before resting his head against her chest, listening to the steady thrum of her heartbeat. "So, I was thinking that we could go back to our room, and maybe play some video games together," he mentioned casually, his voice barely above a soft whisper. Advena hugged him tightly with an elated coo.

" _I love you Jake,_ " she told him as she had countless times before.

"I know baby girl," Jake chuckled, slipping out of her grasp and taking her hand in his. "I know." Together, they walked back down the stairs and to their room, where they spent the next two hours relaxing and playing one of Advena's favourite games.

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Morning)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake snuck out his quarters' door, leaving Advena sound asleep in their nest. As much as he wanted to stay in her arms all morning, he suddenly remembered that he'd left his music chip in the observatory, and there was no way he'd let one of his most precious memories of his parents get nicked by some opportunist. Even though he doubted anyone ever went up into the small room, he still couldn't rest easy knowing there was even a chance of it being stolen.

As he crept up the stairs, he was suddenly given pause when he heard a voice from above.

"… still just feel so confused about everything. Nobody's ever taken the time to ask me what I want, or how I feel – except you of course. Just for _once_ , I want to be in control of my own life." Jake sat down on one of the many steps of the spiralling staircase, immediately interested when he realised it was Tyler talking. Any insight on the young man's feelings was more than welcome, though he was also curious as to who he was speaking with.

" _You have more control than you realise,_ " Sal assured him. Jake blinked in confusion when he looked around, and realised Sal must be up there with Tyler, talking to him. Tyler and Sal were talking? Now that certainly was unexpected. If Jake wasn't interested before, he sure as hell was now. " _For example, you could have let Advena kill me. You controlled_ me _for a few seconds there. And yet, you spared my life, at your own expense._ "

"That's what I'm saying! I'm just so confused, Sal. I hate you – god, I _really_ hate you for how you lied to me, manipulated me and tried to take over my body. But at the same time, you remind me so much of someone I used to know… the way you treat me, how you're always there for me… I just don't get it. You're so nice, and such an asshole, all at the same time."

" _I love you Tyler. Everything I've done, I've done for you. I didn't think you were able to protect yourself, so I tried to do it for you. I know that it was the wrong thing to do now – if I could take it all back I would, believe me I would. I love you more than anything else in the galaxy._ "

"Whoa, back off there buddy!" Tyler snapped suddenly.

" _What? I –_ "

"You're a guy! A-and an alien! What makes you think I'm into guys? O-or aliens!"

" _Is Tyler denying his homosexuality?_ " Advena queried.

"Shit!" Jake yelled in fright, banging his head against the wall as the sudden voice in his head made him jump.

"Son of a bitch…" Tyler muttered from up above. To say he sounded pissed was an understatement. Jake quickly hopped up the remaining stairs, finally able to drink in the sight of the duo. Sal was laying on the floor, head perked up in confusion as the rest of his body curled around a small Tyler-sized hole where the young man had obviously been sitting not long ago. The scientist in question was standing near the stairs, arms crossed furiously as he glared at the newcomers. The wounds from yesterday's scrap were extremely evident, but a gauze strip plastered to Tyler's right cheek and three long, parallel scars running down Sal's domed head were the ones which stuck out.

"Tyler, just listen for a second –" Jake started, but was promptly cut off by the young man.

"I'm not a fucking homosexual, Advena," he growled.

" _But –_ "

"But nothing! I'm straight as a fucking Christian nail. End of story."

"Tyler," Jake soothed, "it's okay. We know you're gay; there's no need to try and hide it from us, we're here to support you."

"Oh, in that case, I'll direct you towards the nearest gay man because I'm not fucking gay!"

"Tyler –"

"Is very, very straight. He's also getting really pissed off at all these accusations about his sexuality."

"Would you just –"

"You know what? I think _you're_ all gay, and you're just trying to push your sick fantasies on me. How does that feel?"

"I have a girlfriend," Jake said snippily. "And Advena has a boyfriend. The only other gay person here is Sal, who's sole reason for being gay is because _you're_ gay."

" _Xenomorphs base their gender on sexuality,_ " Advena explained to him.

"Well, then Sal's as stupid as he is abusive, because he got it wrong. I'm still, surprisingly enough, no more gay than I was the first fucking time you accused me." Before any of them could come up with a rebuttal, Tyler stormed out of the room, no doubt retreating back to his shuttle.

" _Really!_ " Sal growled. " _I was finally getting somewhere with him! Why do you always have to ruin everything for me Advena?_ "

"Sal, come on, it was an accident," Jake protested.

" _Oh, yeah! And I'm sure it was an accident when she convinced Tyler not to try and fix up our relationship too. She 'accidentally' told him he should go seek other Xenomorphs to Bond with. Whoopsie, clumsy little Advena!_ "

" _Well, maybe if you actually fulfilled your duty as a Companion like a proper, decent Xenomorph, instead of abusing your host, then –_ "

"Okay, let's all just _not_ fight, okay?" Jake intervened. "Lord knows I did _not_ come all this way just for us all to kill each other on the home stretch." Advena sighed and dutifully stood down, plopping her haunches onto the floor and staying silent. "At least he was talking to you," Jake said in an attempt to cheer Sal up.

" _Well, I guess he didn't know what else to do. I've always been there for him when he needs me; reassuring him, guiding him, telling him that everything is okay. Whenever he's feeling hurt or confused, he comes to me. Today was no different._ "

"Hey, that takes a lot of trust. Forgiveness might be closer than you think." Sal smiled bitterly and slowly stretched his legs, before standing and shaking the stiffness from his limbs.

" _Thanks Jacob. It's good to hear that, especially from a human._ " Sal slowly sauntered out of the room, leaving just Jake and Advena alone once again.

" _You shouldn't give him false hope like that,_ " Advena advised him.

"Oh come on 'Vena, give the guy a break. You _know_ that Tyler is difficult to work with – Sal's doing the best he can, and he really does genuinely care about him."

" _Yes, Tyler is hard to deal with sometimes,_ " Advena agreed, " _which is all the more reason to be careful with him. I bet you won't feel so kindly towards him if this all blows up in your face. Sal and Tyler have a rare, close relationship – and it's been abused. Dangerous things can come of this, Jacob. It worries me._ "

"What are you talking about?" Jake demanded as he yanked his music chip from the speakers. He'd not forgotten the whole reason he'd come up here, after all. Advena let out a long, drawn-out breath before slinking over to the lone bench seat. She curled up on it and patted the space next to her with her tail, and Jake obliged her by sitting down next to her.

" _You've seen what we can do together, as a Bonded pair. Our telepathic abilities are guided by a strong Bond between us, and have been developed fully through our love and trust. We can, for the most part, control ourselves when it comes to our abilities. Even if one of us gets out of hand, our emotions flow only between the two of us – like an electric current through a cable. When abusive relationships come into play, the cable snaps, and suddenly the electricity is flowing into a water puddle, and into other cables. People have lost control of themselves, hurt others with awry abilities meant only to be shared between trusting and caring individuals. It can drive people crazy, make them lose themselves. This is one of the main reasons we Xenomorphs despise people like Sal._ "

"Christ…" Jake muttered. "So you're saying that Tyler might be able to abuse other peoples' minds – with memories and emotions 'n' stuff?"

" _Not only that, I'm afraid. As I've mentioned before, the bond between Sal and Tyler is particularly strong. Should they continue down their hateful, manipulative path, they will be twice as destructive. Normally, Shallow-Bonds cause anomalous telepath abilities – weird stuff like partial mind-reading, or recognising faces of other peoples' familiars. Tyler and Sal have a close relationship however, because of their yin-yang personalities. Tyler is weak-willed and troubled, but cunning. Sal is protective and supportive, but not too bright. They fit together like puzzle pieces._ "

"What about us? What do we fit together like?"

" _Like a stack of pancakes. Our Bond is good in different ways. But that's beside the point. Sal and Tyler will be able to freely utilise abilities reserved for closely Bonded pairs, such as sharing memories, emotions, body-swapping, and in some extreme cases, linking. It's all wrong; bonds like this should only be formed by the most intimate of lovers, but Sal destroyed an already-weak man's mental barriers. Nothing like this has ever happened before, to my knowledge, so I'm only speculating at the moment. It could be much worse, or less severe. I for one, do not particularly want to find out, as Tyler is currently still trying to work for Weyland – our enemy. This is why I want Tyler and Sal to split up and seek other Companions. If they don't direct their telepathy somewhere, they will begin forming these 'Shallow-Bonds' – partial Bonds to other telepaths which allow very one-sided telepathic exchanges._ "

"Wouldn't it be easier to just get them back together? I feel like we should do that as soon as possible. You know, not much time to muck around with dating and stuff when our potential doom is just around the corner," Jake joked nervously. He wondered why Advena had withheld this information from him, but then again, he was almost hyperventilating right now, so maybe she had held back out of concern for his health.

" _I don't know. The Bond they have requires intimacy – lots of intimacy. Love, respect, trust. I don't think they can ever fully repair what Sal has broken, which would be dangerous. Who knows how much damage a Half-Bond could do?_ "

"Well, at the very least, it would convince them that they can only abuse each others' mind. They _can_ only abuse each others' mind at the moment, right?"

" _Tyler is growing stronger; he's able to resist a lot of Sal's influence. Soon, neither party will be able to force anything telepathic on the other. That also means that when they begin turning their abuse to others, nobody will be able to mentally subdue or resist them. So yes, for now they can only hurt each other, but that is likely subject to change._ "

"Well, this is really turning into a shit-show," Jake whined, running a hand through his hair as he thought the situation over. "We've got Weyland on our tail, Tyler fighting us every step of the way, unease in the ranks and two potential mega-threats growing in power every day. Never a dull moment around here, is there?"

" _Whatever comes next, you have me by your side,_ " Advena assured him, crawling onto his lap slightly to nuzzle his chin affectionately. " _Besides, this probably sounds a lot worse than it really is. We can beat Weyland off with those plans of yours, Tyler is just one man, trust will build eventually and those two are hardly 'mega-threats'. They're like radioactive material; unstable, but handle them correctly and they can't hurt anyone._ " Jake said nothing, so Advena nudged him comfortingly with her head. " _Now, you can sit here all day and worry about it, but today is pancake day, and I for one do not want to miss that. What do ya say, partner?_ " Jake chuckled and stroked her cheek affectionately, before sliding off the bench and stretching.

"That's my girl. Let's go grab some breakfast."


	13. Chapter 13: Completionists

Jake gingerly stepped past the now-gaping-hole which led into the bridge. Tyler had fried the door controls, which meant that as soon as someone accidentally closed it, an engineering team had to cut through it in order to regain access. Within, there was about as much work being done as he'd expected to see; Jeica and her Xenomorph, Mozart, were sitting at the navigations table, a game of chess set atop its glass surface. Jeica was seated atop one of the several bridge chairs, whilst Mozart simply sat on the floor with his head just peeking above the table's lip, gazing intently at the pieces on the board.

"Chess huh?" Jake remarked as he pulled up one of the metal-framed chairs next to them. Advena leapt playfully onto another next to him, laying herself across both her seat and his lap.

"Yeah, I picked a game we'd both be bad at," Jeica replied without taking her eyes off the board. Mozart tentatively pushed one of the pieces across the board's surface, before placing his hands back on the floor and eagerly awaiting his opponent's next move.

" _That's going to be less fun once you guys start linking,_ " Advena observed, catching the general gist from some of Jake's less guarded memories. She had, of course, informed him about the impersonal memories which slipped from his mind at certain stimuli. They weren't anything private, just general memories of having been taught things, such as how to play chess. She also felt his smirk when he raised an eyebrow at Mozart's move.

"Are you letting him cheat, or have you just given up on trying to explain the game to him?"

"What do you mean?" Jeica inquired, fingers hovering above a rook as she hummed in thought.

"Jeica, he just moved a bishop forward."

"So?" Jeica finally decided to move her rook three squares. Diagonally.

"Jesus, you don't know how to play chess, do you?"

"I know the basics," Jeica assured him, clasping her hands together and waiting. Mozart picked up a knight and moved it forward two spaces. "Four spaces, Mozart. Knights can only go four spaces, no more, no less." Mozart nodded, then slid the piece forward two more spaces. Jake facepalmed and shook his head at them.

"You're terrible, Jeica. Just terrible."

" _Hey, am I allowed to cheat when we play games too? You know, because I'm and alien and you have to go easy on me?_ " Advena asked innocently.

"Absolutely not," Jake harrumphed.

" _Hardass. Jeica lets_ her _Xenomorph cheat at games._ "

"No honey, Jeica just doesn't understand how they work." Advena snickered and Jake vainly attempted to hide his smirk, making Jeica pull the finger at them while using her other hand to rub her chin in thought. Jake left her to her game and let his eyes wander the room idly.

"Any sign of Tyler?" he asked the on-duty security officer. The human shrugged and turned away from the bank of screens which served as the security centre.

"Nothing. I'd imagine he's nursing his wounds, sir." Jake leaned back a little farther, peering suspiciously at the ominous black heap next to the soldier's chair. Sure enough, the heap shifted slightly and raised its domed head to meet his curious gaze.

"That one yours?" Jake asked, nodding at the Xenomorph. Curious, this one was a Warrior, with a ridged head and bulkier frame… huh, how did he know that? Advena confirmed his suspicions by meeting the questioning look he shot over his shoulder with her lip curled in a small smile.

" _That's what it feels like,_ " Advena explained. " _Just like from your memories, I knew what chess was, from mine, you know what a Warrior is._ " Jake nodded and returned his attention to the security guard, who had been waiting patiently throughout the exchange.

"Yeah, Iota's mine. We haven't been Bonded very long – only learnt how to listen to her just yesterday. I still can't hear other telepaths, but she says I'll get there eventually."

"Iota?" Jake repeated with a raised eyebrow. "You named her Iota?"

" _No, a Xenomorph did. I'm a runt,_ " Iota explained, drawing herself to full height. Jake raised his other eyebrow as he glanced between her and Advena, the former overshadowing her brethren by a good foot or two. " _Trust me. It made sense at the time._ "

"Advena?"

" _Er… did you by any chance lose your original body?_ " Iota dipped her head slightly in the affirmative. " _Yeah, that does happen. Usually, Xenomorphs are stunted for life, but sometimes the problem is in the body, rather than mental structure, so a runt can sometimes shed their undersized body in favour of a newer, bigger one._ "

" _I also switched out for a warrior body. I kind of regret it, now that I could accidentally kill my Bonded in my sleep, but we're learning to live with it. We would need a Queen in order for me to get a new body anyway, so there's not really much any of us can do about it._ "

"Wait, you guys can choose what you look like? You're not bound to one specific subspecies?" Jake inquired. Advena and Iota both nodded simultaneously, a bit of amused superiority dripping from the former's grin.

" _Didn't you ever wonder why Sal is a Runner, when he clearly hatched from a human? We can steal evolutionary traits from creatures we impregnate, then pass on the information needed to make more of a similar kind, so as to allow a diverse cast of Xenos within a Hive. As long as somebody in the Hive is able to recall how the prototype Xeno did it, anyone else can too, and then choose which form they would like, or think the Hive needs. Here, how about a practical example._ " Advena sat up and stared him directly in the eyes, and Jake made to ask her what she meant, when suddenly his mind reeled, flashes of information and mental images of several dozen Xenomorphs flitting through his vision, before disappearing abruptly.

"W-what the hell was that?" he demanded.

" _Now you have the genetic information too, stored away in your subconscious. Your mind isn't able to comprehend it, but the special enzymes in the Queen's royal jelly can. I'm not sure what you'd do with it, but hey, you can pass it on to less informed individuals I suppose. Speaking of less informed individuals…_ " The occupants of the room all turned to stare at the Xenomorph who hesitated in the doorway. Long scars ran down the Runner's head, his tail curled around his legs nervously as he spotted Advena.

"Hi… Sal…" Jake greeted him cautiously.

" _I can leave… if you do not want me here…_ " the Runner enunciated sullenly.

"Come on in Sal," Jake sighed, gesturing softly. He took a few tentative steps forward, then stopped and sat down when he was three metres away from the nearest Xenomorph. "Apologise," Jake hissed, nudging Advena's side harshly.

" _For what?_ " she whispered back. Jake narrowed his eyes and glared furiously at her. " _Jake…_ "

" _It's okay Jacob,_ " Sal interrupted, " _I deserved what I got. Failing my duties to my Bonded calls for a much harsher punishment than what I got. At least I still have a chance to make it right._ "

"It can't be all that bad," Jeica put in with a frown, finally abandoning her chess game to join in. Mozart grimaced, which earned him a reprimanding look, but otherwise remained silent. Jake noticed Iota curl up in the corner of his vision, purposefully ending up so she was facing away.

" _They know…_ " Advena whispered to him. " _But Sal, he does not, it seems. Strange, there must have been at least two separate Hives on that station…_ "

" _I screwed up badly, Jeica. I should have been honest with Tyler. I shouldn't have lied to him. I shouldn't have tried to live his life for him, and I shouldn't have let him believe he was crazy. I honestly thought I was protecting him, but maybe he doesn't even want protecting. Maybe he just wants someone to be there for him. Regardless, I can't take any of that back now. All I can say is: I'm sorry. I tried my best, and it wasn't good enough, but I'll be damned if I won't try again._ "

" _You tried your best?_ " Advena questioned sceptically, " _Didn't your Queen teach you anything about etiquette?_ "

" _What Queen? The one that died before I was born, or the one which slaughtered the three Drones who raised me?_ "

" _Oh my, that would certainly explain his inherent stupidity,_ " Advena noted.

" _Hey, I heard that!_ "

" _Oh dear, I didn't realise,_ " Advena growled sarcastically.

" _I came here to ask the humans for help, not to be berated by my own kind for things I am already well aware of,_ " Sal snapped. He then turned to Jake and took a deep breath to recompose himself. " _It's about Tyler. He still hasn't given up on trying to get onto the bridge, so I was thinking that maybe, for all our sakes, we should post some guards at the door._ "

"You want us to organise a guard roster, and give at least eight individuals the life-draining task of standing outside a door all day, for one man?" Jeica demanded.

" _That man is Tyler, my Bonded, your friend, and an enormous security breach should he find his way back to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. I think you should at least consider my suggestion._ "

"Jeica, aren't you and I pretty much always on the bridge anyway?" Jake put in.

"Except for meal times and night time, I suppose we are," Jeica agreed.

"So the guards would only really need to be here for short bursts; we can take care of Tyler if he shows up while we're around, and the guards can be on duty when we're not. I do like the idea of never leaving this place unguarded."

" _Wait, I thought_ we _were guarding this place!_ " Iota protested, suddenly reminding the occupants of the room of her and her Bonded's existences.

"No Sweetie, we're only here to find out who keeps stealing our food inventory," the security guard reminded her quickly, flashing the others an apologetic smile. Jake couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Oh geez, you should've just asked. That's Tyler, stocking up so he doesn't have to associate with us."

"What's his deal anyway?" the guard asked grouchily. "You know, I heard he's gay. That would certainly explain a lot, don't you think? His kind always have been so self-centred."

" _Yeah. You know – gay humans don't even care about their own species!_ " Iota agreed. " _All they care about is their own sick pleasures. I was disgusted when I heard about it!_ "

"You," Jake pointed at the Xeno, "don't talk about things you don't understand, and you," he pointed at the guard, "stop spreading rumours. And both of you, out." The guard sighed and rolled his eyes, shutting off his console, shouldering his bag, and then striding out the door, his Xeno hot on his heels. "God, the nerve of some people. How the hell did he find out anyway?" Advena cocked her head at him, waiting for it to click. When she was met with a questioning gaze, she sighed and explained:

" _The same way you did. Through a Xenomorph. Anybody could apply the same logic we did. That also means there are probably lots of other people who know._ "

"Well shit," Jake cussed, running a hand through his hair as he considered the implications. "So idiots like him are going to find out, then tell their Xenomorphs about how bad gay people are, and we'll end up with _two_ homophobic societies. Fucking excellent."

" _And one of them will have claws,_ " Advena added unhelpfully.

" _I'm going to go find Tyler!"_ Sal screeched, before bolting out the door, slamming into walls when he tried to turn a corner in his panic.

"Wait a minute – Sal's a liar!" Jake announced. "He said that his Queen was dead, but you need royal jelly to get a new body. So unless Sal's only a few months old, then he couldn't have had a dead Queen when he hatched out of Tyler!"

" _Wow, you caught onto that one quick_ ," Advena mocked him. Jake huffed when his own eyes rolled at his outburst. Talk about adding insult to injury. " _Ooh, that's fun. I wish you could see my eyes so I could do that more often!_ "

"Well, care to explain to me why I'm such a big fool?"

" _The Queen doesn't necessarily have to be alive in order for a Xenomorph to be reborn. In fact, many Queens keep a large stock of rebirth-capable eggs in the very event of their death, so that one of her children may respawn as a Queen to take her place. If I were in Sal's position, I would have done the very same thing; surviving in a small group, you would want fast and stealthy Xenomorphs, rather than big and strong ones. There is also the possibility that the Queen responsible for the deaths of his family provided an egg for him to be reborn in, though that seems less likely given the circumstances and Xenomorph nature._ "

"Well, good thing you're here; I was beginning to think I was actually smart."

" _I'm a Drone,_ " Advena giggled, " _Physically, I have no special talent. Thus, I must make up for it with mental talent. Don't beat yourself up over it._ "

"Yeah? I see modesty's not on that special list of talents of yours."

" _Hey, why undersell yourself, right? I've seen what you think of me, and now I'm going to brag about it to the rest of the world._ "

"Yeah? And I've seen what you think of me. Something about taking me into the nest and, here I quote, 'pinning your prey so –'"

" _Okay, okay, no need to get into detail!_ " Advena hissed frantically.

"Whoa, are you two a couple?" Jeica inquired suddenly, raising an eyebrow. Jake peered at Mozart, who was standing slightly behind his humans and waving his hands frantically in a 'no' gesture.

"Mozart hasn't broken the news to you?" Jake chuckled.

" _Jake!_ " Advena guffawed, nudging his ribs sharply even as she stifled a giggle of her own.

"Mozart?" Jeica demanded, seeing as she wasn't getting anything out of her merry-making friends. The Xenomorph in question tapped his index fingers together nervously as he rushed to think of an explanation.

" _Er, well, uh, you see… all Xenomorphs consider their Hosts with the intent of becoming mates once the Bond has been complete – not that I'd ever assume you'd want to – with me – I mean, I'd never – unless you wanted to – uh, oh, uh…_ " Jeica laughed and rubbed his domed head as if she were ruffling a child's hair.

"Oh, you're adorable Mo'. So what, you two banging, or just taking it slow?"

"Christ, am I the only one here who doesn't kick off a relationship by fucking?" Jake complained. "We're perfectly happy taking it easy for now."

" _Well, some of us are,_ " Advena muttered, before looking up at the ceiling, humming innocently.

"Shame, I would've liked to know how that felt, what with the link and all. Would be interesting don't you think?"

"I'm sure Mozart would be perfectly happy with giving you an _in-depth_ lesson on exactly how that feels," Jake remarked smartly, relishing in the way the aforementioned Xeno squirmed and spluttered embarrassedly.

"You _know_ that's not what I meant. Hey, don't high-five him 'Vena!"

" _Shhh, I'm scoring points,_ " Advena hushed her. Jake slapped her arm playfully, before reclining in his chair.

"So, you guys going to continue pretending to play chess, or do you wanna try out a real game?"

"Go on then," Jeica challenged him, folding her arms stubbornly.

"'Vena, would you be a darling and get your game things from wherever you hide it?"

" _I don't hide it silly, I borrow it from Tyler. Be back in a bit._ " Jake raised an eyebrow and watched as she bolted out the door, excited that her hobby was finally being accepted by her Bonded. Jake briefly considered the fact that he could use one of Tyler's favourite belongings as a bargaining chip, but even if Advena would have been okay with that, he didn't think that would do much good in terms of building back the burnt bridges between them.

Meanwhile, Advena skittered to a halt in the shuttle bay, holding her breath and quickly ducking out of sight silently. She stealthily peeked out from behind a support beam at the two figures standing in the middle of the metal-lined hallway. Tyler gingerly placed his hand on Sal's head, gently tracing the deep scars Advena had left on his carapace.

"If I were to run away," Tyler whispered, holding his forehead to Sal's, "would you run away with me?"

" _No. You will never be happy back in Weyland's hands. We both know it._ "

"Maybe I would be… with you around…"

" _My place is with my kin, fighting for freedom, and there's nobody I'd rather have at my side than you._ "

"I see… so what if I tried to leave, would you stop me?"

" _Yes. Leaving the Resistance again would be the biggest mistake of your life._ "

"You're implying that I've joined it a second time. I want you all to know that I'm not apart of any of this. I'm a scientist who worked closely with the two rogues that caused this mess, and got kidnapped for my scientific prowess in the field of Xenomorphs. Nothing more."

" _You know that's not true._ "

"The Corporation doesn't."

Sal slumped and sighed, slowly dragging his feet as he made to leave.

" _Well, I'm glad you're okay anyway. Steer clear of the other humans here, and give me a call if anyone ever touches you in a way you don't like._ "

"You don't have to tell me twice." Once Sal was well and truly gone, Advena made her presence known, strolling over to Tyler casually, as if she hadn't seen anything.

" _Hey Tyler,_ " she purred, rubbing her head against his stomach affectionately. Tyler chuckled and stroked her chin fondly – it wasn't as good as when Jake did it, but it was the thought behind the gesture that Advena appreciated most. " _Watcha doing standing around in the hallway? Has Sal talked to you about the other humans?_ " Tyler nodded with a grim frown. " _Don't worry, I promise Jake and I will sort it out._ "

"Advena," Tyler said softly, crouching down to her level with a bittersweet smile. He found her naivety cute in a sad way. He supposed Jake hadn't exactly seen the worse side of humanity in the detail he had, so she couldn't possibly have picked up on it yet. "You can't just undo decades of nurtured hatred. It's basically genetic by now. Convincing _one_ person to change their mind would be a mission in itself – it would probably take years to reverse-engineer what they've been raised to believe."

" _Oh, I'm sorry… wait, you haven't denied your homosexuality even once this entire time! Have you finished pretending that you're as straight as a Christmas nail?_ "

"Christian," Tyler corrected her, "and I was never pretending. I'm still straight – other people seem to believe otherwise though, so one way or another, I have to deal with this shit."

" _You can tell me the truth Tyler. You know you can trust me; I won't tell anyone, I promise._ "

"Vee, there's nothing to tell you." Hesitation. Damn it, Advena knew the truth, why wouldn't he just admit it? Advena sighed, before jolting when she suddenly remembered the reason she'd come in the first place.

" _Hey, do you want to play some video games with us?_ "

"No," he answered flatly. "You guys go right ahead, just make sure not to let any of those idiots touch my Lexer – I know you'll take good care of it." Advena nodded with a sad smile as Tyler fetched the device and pressed it into her hands.

" _Thank you Tyler. Maybe you and I can have another one on one sometime?_ "

"Maybe," he agreed noncommittally. Advena quickly scampered back to the bridge, where the group hooked up the game box to the bridge's main screen. Jeica, Mozart, Jake and Advena all took turns with the two controllers, competing against one another to see who could get the highest score at the end of their respective matches. Nobody expected to beat Advena, but they had fun anyway. Eventually, they organised a night shift, before retiring to their respective beds.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

 _Jake opened his eyes, and found himself sitting amongst a field of soft grass. He was confused at first, because this place looked nothing like his and 'Vena's dream realm. The edges of the world were blurred to the point he couldn't make out anything more than ten metres away. He remembered falling asleep alone in the bed, because Advena was returning Tyler's gaming device. He had drifted off, but she was here now – he could see her, slowly circling around a lone tree which stood upon a patch of ground that was bare bar some springy, soft moss. The mossy ground was cast into a pleasant shady reprieve by the leafy tree – it seemed like the perfect place for a romantic meet-up actually, perhaps for a picnic or just relaxing in the quietness of nature._

 _Advena wriggled her hips and wagged her tail excitedly at something lying upon the moss. Jake glanced to the side so as to spot whatever she was so interested in, mentally reeling back in surprise when he spotted the spitting image of himself. He was lying with his hands folded casually behind his head, smirking coyly at the alien approaching him. Advena slid her body over his, pressing their chests together and leaning in to place her lips against his. Real Jake locked up for a moment, then struggled desperately to get up and approach, but his legs were fixed in place. He was trapped where he was, unable to speak. An observer._

 _Advena gripped second Jake's shoulder as she twisted her head from side to side with the passion of her kiss, hands slowly moving down to his hips and gripping his shirt. With a few firm tugs, the clothing was lifted over his head, breaking the kiss. Advena didn't skip a beat, and instead made intimate eye contact to accompany the lustful grin, hands fiddling with her lover's belt. Jake's hands trailed up her back, caressing the alien as she straddled him and slowly undid his zipper. The pants were tossed aside, leaving Advena's stray hand to trail down to his only remaining article of clothing – his briefs. A single, clawed finger hooked underneath the waistband, muscles tensing to –_

"'VENA!" Jake screamed, bolting upright in their nest as he abruptly found himself in control of his body again. His movement smacked said alien hard enough to jolt her from her sleep, and Jake jerked in fright when he gazed upon her face, not recognising her for a moment. Her cheeks had the slightest hint of glowing, neon green to them.

" _Jake Jake Jake!_ " she screeched in panic, rolling onto the floor and clumsily tumbling onto her feet, teeth bared and claws unsheathed as if she expected a fight. They stared at each other for a good minute, panting as their racing hearts finally slowed to a regular pace.

"What… was _that_?" he demanded finally.

" _What do you mean? You're the one screaming in my ear while I'm trying to sleep!_ " she snapped back.

"No, the thing, with the two me's, and the you doing the… you didn't see any of that?"

" _O-oh my… I didn't expect_ this _to be an issue…_ " Advena mumbled, the green on her face intensifying by a shade. " _Y-you see Jake, our minds only link properly during a certain stage of deep sleep, at which point we both enter our dream realm together. But when one of us is in the deep state, and the other isn't, the one in deep sleep will watch the others' dreams patiently until they are joined by their Bonded. Xenomorphs are made to reach this state quickly and consistently, which is why we are such heavy sleepers, so usually it's me watching your dreams, but because you fell asleep long before I did… oh god, I'm so so so sorry you had to see that._ "

"Let me get this straight," Jake murmured evenly, clasping his hands in front of his closed eyes. "What I saw, was you having a wet dream about me?" Advena tapped her fingers together embarrassedly, avoiding eye contact.

" _Er, well, to put it bluntly, yes._ "

"Well, that's not really something I ever want to go through again. Maybe you and I need to get on working those fantasies out of your system."

" _I'm sorry…_ " Advena mumbled, but Jake placed a hand on her – really warm – cheek, and offered her a sly smile.

"Maybe if we make it a reality, you won't have to dream about it anymore."

" _Y-you mean, me, and you…?_ "

"Of course darling, who else?" Advena leapt onto him, startling the human. "I didn't mean right n –! Oh." Advena wrapped her arms around him and gave him a firm squeeze.

" _Thank you Jake, this means a lot to me, really. We can finally be mated, then our Bond will be complete! Oh, I'm so excited~! But it can wait. I can wait. The day has barely started, and we have some work to do if we're going to pull off this little plan of yours. Yes, I know about that, you were thinking very loudly._ "

"Well then, let's call the others."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"So, I was thinking," Jake announced to the four other warriors seated at the table. Empty plates with smudges of syrup and toasted crumbs were strewn about before them, along with empty mugs wafting the smell of coffee through the quiet murmuring which filled the air. Only the civilians occupied the mess hall at the current time, all the soldiers out doing morning routines.

"Oh no," Jeica groaned, giggling when Jake gave her the stink eye. Mozart snickered, though kept glancing at Jeica as if to make sure he was acting appropriately. _Suck up,_ Jake thought sulkily.

" _Heh, you said it buddy,_ " Advena agreed.

"Oh my, did I say that out loud?" he blurted apologetically.

" _Nope, just to me silly. Looks like you finally mastered the art of sending private thoughts. Oh, and you'd better say something quick; the others are all looking at you oddly._ "

"Uh, never mind. So, we've got Xenos from the station, and humans from the station. It stands to reason that at least some of the population here are Bonded without knowing it, right?"

" _Right,_ " Sal agreed.

"And well, I'm sure everyone here has seen how kickass 'Vena and I are when fighting Bonded, so logically, we should try to complete as many Bonds as possible. Aside from giving us a tactical edge over Weyland, it'll also help to improve relations between our species."

"Okay," Jeica said with a nod, "but we're talking about roughly three hundred humans, plus Xenos. How are we going to do this?"

"Well, as Advena has told me, every Xenomorph knows their Host just by looking at them. So all we have to do is put everyone in a room together and let them sort it all out."

" _Well, it's a little more complicated than that,_ " Advena interjected hesitantly. " _An Un-Bonded Xenomorph and their Host have to be within about ten metres of one another in order for the Xeno to pick them out for the first time. On top of that, the Xenomorph has to be actively searching for their Host telepathically – that's why we haven't seen too many pairs popping up from meeting by chance. We would have to be very organised about how we do this._ "

" _We get every human with a scar on their chest to stand in one long line. Then, we send Xenomorphs down one by one so they can search for their Host,_ " Mozart suggested proudly.

"That would take a ridiculously long time," Jeica dismissed him. "Most of the people on this ship were impregnated in the outbreak. We're talking about at least two-hundred people. One-fifty, minimum."

" _Well, not all of these humans_ can _form a viable Bond,_ " Sal reminded them. " _Some Xenomorphs have since died, meaning some humans can be ruled out. Likewise, some Xenomorphs will be Bonded with humans not on this ship, so we can rule them out too._ "

"Yeah, but how the hell would we be able to figure any of that out?" Jake demanded. "These guys are Un-Bonded, remember? We can't exactly ask them if their Hosts are on the ship or not."

" _Well, that's easy. We sniff 'em out._ "

" _Er, what?_ " Advena inquired.

" _You know, sniff 'em out. All the ones which smell like they have a viable Bond, we send in. The others, we send out._ "

" _You can't just_ smell _whether somebody has a viable Bond or not,_ " Mozart snorted. " _…Right?_ "

" _Impossible,_ " Advena concurred. " _What the hell are you talking about, Sal?_ "

" _Wait, you guys don't know how to do that? Look, I'll show you!_ " Sal hopped over to some nearby tables and herded over ten humans, who looked confused, slightly peeved, and directed questioning gazes at Jake. Sal then paced down the line. He jabbed a finger at the first human. " _Scar. Bondable._ "

"Scar?" Jake repeated.

"Hm? Oh, this?" the civilian inquired, before tugging down his collar, revealing the ugly red mark where a Xenomorph had been removed from him.

" _No scar,_ " Sal continued, pointing to the second human. Jake motioned for the man to pull down his shirt, which he obliged, revealing a slightly hairy, but scar-less chest. " _Scar, Un-Bondable. Scar, Bondable. Scar, Bondable._ " The next three, at a command from Jake, pulled down their collars to reveal the tips of raw, red marks on their skin.

" _No way…_ " Mozart muttered. Sal continued to correctly call out whether each individual had a scar or not, followed by if they were able to form a viable Bond or not.

" _Oh no…_ " Advena whimpered so only Jake could hear her. " _This is bad… Sal has developed his first Shallow-Bond ability._ "

"Okay, we can work with this," Jake decided nervously, casting quick glances at Advena, who was shuffling uncomfortably at the new realisation. " _We can deal with Sal later, for now let's just use this to our advantage and get these Bonds sorted out,_ " he telepathically whispered to his Companion. Advena nodded ever so slightly, and Jake slowly hauled himself out of his seat. "Alright guys, let's send a PA to the crew and have Sal sort everyone out. Then we can leave the Xenos to Bond with their Hosts."

"Sounds like a plan," Jeica agreed, "I'll send the word out. You guys stick around here to organise everyone once they arrive. Come on Mo'." Mozart crooned and hopped onto his feet enthusiastically, before following Jeica to the mess hall's exit, sticking to her side like glue.

" _Suck-up indeed,_ " Advena giggled as she watched them leave. " _You could learn a thing or two from him, Sal._ "

" _Hah, I doubt Tyler would appreciate such an invasion of privacy. Knowing him, he wouldn't let me that close unless we were lovers, which seems very unlikely at this point._ " Soon after, the intercom crackled to life, and Jeica's voice could be heard booming throughout the ship.

"To all Xenomorphs and personnel who have an impregnation scar on their chest, please report to the mess hall as soon as possible. That's all Xenomorphs and impregnated personnel to the mess hall ASAP. Thank you." Then began the trickling of people, warily stepping into the vast space with confusion clear on their faces.

" _That one's already Bonded,_ " Sal pointed out, aiming his finger at a marine approaching them.

"What's this about?" the newcomer inquired casually.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Jake explained. "We're trying to match up Xenomorphs and their Hosts, but you seem to already be Bonded." The man nodded.

"Yeah, we got a few like that. If you don't need already-Bonded pairs, I can spread the word for ya."

"Thank you, that would be very much appreciated." The marine left, and Jake watched him grab another marine by his shoulder, before explaining the situation and leaving together. "And it gets easier…" Jake mused, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded. Eventually, there were no more newcomers streaming in, and Jake had to assume they had everyone they needed. So began the arduous process of match-making. Sal worked with incredible efficiency, pacing down the line of humans first, prodding all those with unviable Bonds, thus prompting them to leave the mess hall and resume their day. He then repeated this process for the Xenomorphs, which resulted in about half of them vacating the area due to unviable Bonds. Jake and Advena counted up the remaining individuals, amazed to find there was a precisely equal number of humans and Xenomorphs. Sal had apparently done his job well. From there, it was a simple task of sending the Xenomorphs down the line of humans, pairing them one by one until all fifty remaining aliens had been matched. The whole process took about two hours, but Jake knew it would be well worth it in the end.

"You're very pleased," he noted. Advena grinned and pressed herself against his side merrily.

" _Look at them all – come a couple weeks' time, we're going to be swimming in happy pairs like us. Well, not all of them will choose to take their Bond to a romantic level, but they will certainly become close, even if for the sole purpose of becoming hyper-efficient soldiers._ "

"Speaking of which, we've gotten pretty slack with out training," Jake pointed out. Advena groaned at this, causing him to crack a small smile. "Aw, come on, it's not that bad. How about this; we hit the gym for a couple of hours, and I'll treat you tonight."

" _Treat?_ " Advena repeated suspiciously. " _What are we talking here?_ "

"Hmm… a nice dinner, some alone time and a sleep-in together."

" _Damn,_ " Advena gave in, " _you're good at this._ "

"So, I take it we have a deal?"

" _Throw in some video games and you're sold._ "

"Done. Come on, let's have ourselves a workout."

The duo almost made it to the door, before they had to backpedal and stop in their tracks, staring interestedly. A little ways off, they spotted Tyler leaning with his back against the wall in a more isolated part of the room, hidden amongst the other pairs of Xenomorphs and humans. Sal was leaning next to him, facing his human as they talked quietly. Tyler's eyes roamed over to Jake, and the two made brief eye contact, before Tyler gave a slight shrug. Jake took that to mean he wouldn't mind if he and Advena made their way over, which they did. "Hey, what's up?" Jake greeted them.

"Heard the PA," Tyler explained softly, "couldn't help but take a look. Stayed a while when I saw Sal doing his thing. Interesting that he's the only one here with that talent, don't you think?"

"Yeah… quite," Jake agreed conservatively. Something in Tyler's demeanour made him uneasy, as if the young man was piecing together everything Advena had told him about Shallow-Bonds. Jake knew it was impossible, but a paranoid part of his brain wondered if Tyler had already discovered some abilities of his own and figured everything out from there, and was now merely testing to see if they would tell him the truth. "So… you and Sal thinking of giving this whole Bonding thing another shot?" Jake tried to play it casual, but his nervousness probably showed through his voice clear as day. He desperately hoped the answer would be yes, despite every piece of logic pointing the other way. The sooner Tyler and Sal had proper Bonds, the sooner he could stop worrying about mystical telepath abilities popping up and ruining his day.

"We'll see," Tyler said unhelpfully, casting a sideways glance at the Xenomorph in question. "He'd have a better chance at it if he stopped insisting that he knows my sexuality better than I do."

" _But you_ are _homosexual, Tyler! You know it, I know it, they know it. Who are you trying to fool here?_ " Sal protested.

"Because the Doc told you, didn't she? Yeah, she's making shit up."

"Doctor who?" Jeica inquired, suddenly appearing beside them.

"Doctor Iosha," Tyler deadpanned, rolling his eyes as if it were obvious. "The one who did a physical examination while I was unconscious? More proof that bitch just likes sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, might I add."

" _Definitely worth checking out later,"_ Advena decided privately. Jake silently agreed; whatever Doctor Iosha had seen clearly had Tyler all worked up.

" _Say she_ did _tell us,_ " Mozart pondered, " _then there would be no harm in showing us this thing which we already know about, correct?_ "

"I'm not taking my shirt off in front of the entire mess hall," Tyler growled. "Besides, why would I want to cooperate with any of you lot? I'm still pissed at you for manipulating, kidnapping and attempting to murder me, remember?"

"Okay, okay," Jake let up. He liked to think he knew enough about social etiquette to know when to press a matter. Now was not one of those times, he decided. Tyler was nearing his limit for the day, and annoying him would reset all the progress they'd made on him. Instead, Jake gestured for Advena to follow, before striding out into the corridor. "We'll talk to Iosha tomorrow," he promised his Xenomorph Companion as they headed towards the gym. "Right now we have a deal to take care of." Advena giggled and pranced ahead slightly, hoping to get the exercises over and done with quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Sweaty after their workout, the duo decided to hit the showers before flopping onto the couch tiredly, planning to play some of Advena's favourite games while they recuperated. Jake was, admittedly, beginning to enjoy the sessions, though when teasingly asked by Advena why he was grinning like he was, he'd just say it was funny watching how rapt she was with the things. It was true, partially; Jake spent equal time playing the games as he did watching how Advena responded to them – her concentration, the way she jerked her control around as if that would somehow aid her character's movement – it was cute, and made him chuckle softly. Bear in mind this is a six-foot-tall, sleek, midnight black, strong, sharp-toothed, trained killing machine, sitting on a couch with a little controller in her hands, acting like a hyperactive teenage geek.

" _Hey, nice triple kill,_ " Advena complimented him suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. " _Keep this up, and I might just let you play online with me._ "

"Wait, we're not playing online?" Jake demanded. "Then who the hell are these people I'm killing?"

" _Bots, silly,_ " Advena giggled. _"Did you seriously think we were against real people this whole time?_ "

"'Vena, my pride. It's injured," Jake spluttered, clutching a hand to his heart in mock pain. Advena just snickered and continued wrestling her controller from side to side as her name well and truly cemented itself at the top of the scoreboard.

" _Do humans have stuff like this in real life?_ " Advena inquired idly. Jake glanced up to her portion of the screen and watched the short animation where her character clambered up a six-metre-tall robot's arm and into the cockpit. The giant humanoid machine slid a bulky rifle off its back, before charging into battle, pulverising puny enemies beneath its fists and ridiculously-powerful 40mm shells.

"We have something similar, yeah," Jake confirmed. "Actually, they were developed to combat you guys; I'm surprised you haven't seen any. Sure, they're expensive to manufacture, and Weyland never really set out to kill you guys, but still. A couple of centuries back, we had these clunky little mechs – cargo loaders. They were designed for lifting heavy cargo, but they ended up being used to fight off both a Queen and The Raven towards the earlier years off our species' battles. After that, Weyland began adding new features to them to make them more effective; armoured cockpits, stronger hydraulics, in-built weapons systems – the works."

" _Do you think I would fit in one?_ " Jake couldn't help but laugh at her innocent curiosity. She so desperately loved her video games, and here she was being told there was a way to get one step closer to making them a reality.

"Maybe, though I doubt we'll find out. As I say, they're rather rare due to costs and little practical application." Advena's robot got hit with several rockets, causing red lights to flash in her character's face, along with an irritating beeping noise. She tapped a button on her controller three times, causing her smaller character to fly out the top of her mech's cockpit as it exploded below her. Her character was sent sailing through the air for at least five seconds, before tumbling onto a rooftop as if nothing had happened. "But you definitely can't do _that_ in real life. Well, at least I can't, I'm not entirely sure how robust you guys are."

" _Do you want to find out?_ " Advena purred mischievously. Jake put down his controller as the word 'Victory' flashed across the screen, followed promptly by the top three players; undoubtedly Advena in first, followed by two of the bots in second and third.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jake harrumphed.

" _Weeeeeeell…_ " the Xeno sing-songed, brushing against him as she slipped off the couch gracefully, " _we could have a little_ 'wrestling' _match – then you'll see how much I can take._ " Jake narrowed his eyes, watching her carefully when she gave her hips a little wriggle and flicked her tail from side to side, like an impatient cat.

"'Vena, where are you going with all of this?" Jake demanded, folding his arms at her little game.

" _Oh come on, don't be thick_ ," Advena whined. She huffed when Jake remained unmoved, then slinked into the bedroom, flicking her tail high into the air, knowing full well Jake was watching what little he could see of her body slowly disappearing within. She also knew that all he could see of her body just happened to be her back end.

"Guess she's not going to take 'no' for an answer," Jake sighed to himself. He chuckled at his enigmatic girlfriend, before grinning and following her inside.

 **A/N:  
Coming up next, the obligatory, and eagerly-anticipated, sex scene every story by CrazyBirdMan59 contains.  
So as usual, if you're under-aged or otherwise do not want to read about a human and Xenomorph going at it like a couple of raunchy animals, then skip to the next chapter.  
Otherwise, enjoy the show!**

Jake was greeted with exactly what he expected to see. Well, not _exactly_ , but close enough to it. He expected to see Advena lying naked on the bed (wasn't she always naked?), but wasn't quite prepared for the sight of her sprawled out seductively, like they do it on TV. The kind of pose that whispers naughtily to you, 'I'm right here, come get me'. Of course, it also offered an excellent view of Advena's entire body, and an excuse to study it thoroughly.

Xenomorphs really are sleek and beautiful, Jake decided as he gawked at the woman on their bed, twirling the poofy sheets around her finger idly, a sly smirk never leaving her face. Everything about her was smooth and curvy; sleek domed head reflecting the light, chest flat but hips creating beautiful mountains of her position on her side.

Jake approached, placing a hand on her shoulder and gently guiding her to lie on her smooth, flowing back. He slowly slid his hands up from her thighs, to her waist, where he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Two soft hands found their way to his shoulders, grasping him gently as their heads tilted to the side, mouths parted slightly to allow such an intimate kiss. They parted breathlessly, and Jake felt a strong appendage curl around his calf teasingly, moments before he was suddenly flipped onto his back and straddled. Advena was big, and strong, but she knew how to hold her weight appropriately. The pressure on Jake's stomach was enough to keep him pinned to the bed, but didn't restrict his breathing in any way.

Advena placed one hand on Jake's chest and leaned down, stroking his cheek with the other.

" _This is my first time,_ " she explained, _"so we're doing things at my pace, my way._ " Jake wasn't really in a position to protest, so he simply put his hands to work, massaging the base of her tail and buttocks in a way which had her purring in delight. She simply enjoyed the touches for a moment, leaning down and relaxing, before allowing her hands to creep up Jake's chest, tugging his shirt along with them. Jake allowed the clothing to be pulled out of the way, then helped Advena out with his pants and briefs. Moments later, he felt the cool air battling against the comforting heat of his lover's body on his waist. Then he felt that sneaky tail roaming up his thighs, tickling him cheekily on the way up.

Jake was, naturally, hard as rock by now, having his sexy Companion straddling him with that sexy grin on her face. Advena nuzzled his chin gently, before placing a delicate kiss on his adam's apple, all the while allowing her rear to slowly slide down into position, stopping only when she felt a hot, throbbing pole of flesh resting against her lower back. Her hands left his torso for a moment in favour of reaching behind her, one to steady herself as she lifted her body off of Jake's, the other to wrap lovingly around his cock. Jake gasped at the unique feeling of having such a cool palm pressing against his most sensitive flesh, wrapping around his pride delicately and with such loving care not to hurt him.

Then, he felt the moist warmth of Advena's own sex against his dick's head. Slowly, Advena let gravity take her back, pressing her dripping entrance against her lover's manhood, until finally it slipped inside. Advena hissed in pleasure and unconsciously arched her back as she was suddenly filled to the brim with his hot meat, mirroring Jake's moan of pleasure as his shaft was engulfed by the warmth of Avena's velvety pussy. She placed both her hands on Jake's shoulders, tail curling around his calf once more, gripping him tightly as she began raising herself from his crotch, the wet walls of her sex squeezing Jake's member tightly, as if trying to stop it from slipping out. Advena halted her movement when only the head of his organ remained inside of her, taking a shaky breath, before growling lustily as her body slipped all the way down to his base once more.

Jake gripped her hips tightly, guiding her as she began picking up a rhythm; rising up and impaling herself on his throbbing cock. Her vagina would convulse and ripple ever so often, accompanied by a stuttering hiss of bliss, causing Jake to buck and moan at the intoxicating sensation. Advena began riding him hard and fast now, having gotten over the initial penetration, she needed more. She relished in the feeling of his dick sliding into her again and again, rubbing her sensitive spots and making her screech with joy. Jake was doing everything he could in his position, gripping her hips tightly, pulling her ass down onto him as he thrust his hips upwards to meet her halfway.

They were going at a feverish pace now, slamming their crotches together with unanimous cries of pleasure. Advena's hands left their positions on Jake's shoulders in favour of wrapping around his back and pulling him into a tight embrace, allowing her to lock lips with him once more. She grinded their hips together as her tongue slipped inside Jake's mouth, rubbing his own, twirling and dancing as her ass moved in circles, grinding their sexes together in motions which sent sparks of pleasure shooting up both their spines. Jake moaned again when Advena used her inner maw to suck on his tongue gently.

Jake ran his hands down her back, causing her to twist at the sensations, her movements pressing her lover's member onto her most pleasurable spots, hissing in delight when his thumb found her clit. She bucked and writhed atop him, each motion rubbing Jake's shaft against her moist, gripping vaginal muscles, and making them both moan into the kiss. She began moving once again, slowly picking her rhythm back up from the lusty grinding to the passionate bouncing which had them both gasping into their open-mouthed kiss.

Suddenly, she pulled away as quickly as she'd arrived, arching her back and pounding herself up and down on his manhood like a jackhammer, thrusting harder and harder every time their crotches met, until finally the combined sensations of Jake's loving clit caresses and her own wild riding had her screeching in bliss. Her vaginal walls tightened and rippled sensually down Jake's length, gripping him like a tight, wet velvet glove, wringing and milking his shaft as Advena convulsed. Jake tensed before bucking his hips one final time into her spasming pussy, crying out in pleasure as he too reached orgasm, firing strings of hot, thick seed deep inside his lover.

Panting, Advena slowly lowered her torso until, still connected at the hips, their chests touched. From there, she rolled onto her side and slipped her arms around her human, clutching him to her body tightly. Jake groggily did the same, embracing his Companion and snuggling his head into her rapidly rising and falling chest, listening to the hammering of her heart as they lay together in the warmth of their orgasms, huffing and exchanging gentle kisses to each others' face and neck. Advena purred softly as she eventually rested her chin on Jake's head and hunkered down, ready to allow sleep to take them.


	14. Chapter 14: Interconnection

" _You two have mated_." Jake did a double-take, glancing around himself, finding only the sparsely-occupied bridge air. That was not what he was expecting first thing in the morning after dragging himself lazily into the ship's control centre, and it certainly caught him off-guard.

"Say what now?" he asked confusedly.

" _You two have mated,_ " Mozart repeated, " _I can see it in your minds._ "

" _That roughly translates to 'I can see it in your eyes',_ " Advena hastily explained, knowing Jake's inner paranoia of having his mind read by telepaths. " _And there's no need to act so haughty about it,_ " she added, directing an irritated – and slightly embarrassed – glare at Mozart. The Xenomorph winced at her biting tone and dragged his tail in a nervous half-circle.

" _I didn't mean anything by it,_ " he insisted apologetically. " _I'm just happy for you guys – and relieved to know that humans aren't beyond getting romantically involved with Xenomorphs. You lot are very prudish when it comes to non-standard sexuality._ "

"Tough times," Jake said simply with a hint of a shrug. The door hissed open behind him, and he unconsciously stepped aside to allow the newcomer to step past him. Tyler nodded his thanks, before plopping himself into a nearby chair and swivelling to face them.

"I want off," he announced.

"'Scuse me?" Jake implored.

"The ship. I want to get off this ship, before we reach the Resistance stronghold. I don't know its name, location or population. There's nothing I can do that could possibly help Weyland even if I did plan on going back to them."

"And what about Sal? You're telling me you're just going to hide a Xenomorph from the Corporation?" Jake demanded.

"Who said anything about Sal? I've already talked to him, and he made it clear he wouldn't let me run away, let alone come with me."

"So you're going to leave him here, with a Bond as broken as his heart?"

"That's pretty much the plan, yeah. It's not like we were getting anywhere, and he knows full well he has no chance with me because I'm not gay –"

"Oh here we go again," Jake groaned. Tyler narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips angrily. "You're in no condition to be running around out there alone. Weyland's already reported you as a terrorist by now, and even if you did manage to convince them otherwise, you know too much about the Xenomorph project to be allowed free. Either you'll give them valuable information they can use against us, or they'll kill you. So that's a 'no' Tyler; you're staying here."

" _Stop!_ " Sal screeched, bursting into the room clumsily. " _Stop it! I can tell when you're about to do something stupid, Tyler._ " Tyler kicked his chair away furiously as he got to his feet.

"No, fuck you Sal. And fuck you Jake! This was your last chance to stop screwing with my life!" Tyler's coat whipped aside, revealing the pistol tucked neatly into his belt. Jake cursed and tried to tackle the young man, but tripped over the chair, forcing Advena to instinctively catch him, which bought Tyler just enough time to whip out his weapon and jam it against the head of an innocent bystander. Jake felt Advena's heart freeze, the emotions coursing through her triggering their adrenaline link.

He saw Sal flying through the air, teeth bared, and Tyler's finger tightening on the trigger even as his eyes widened in panic. Agonisingly-slowly, their respective actions crept towards completion a millimetre at a time. His limbs felt heavy as he pushed on Advena, giving her an extra boost as she too pounced. But in his blind panic, it took him a moment to notice Tyler's hand was moving too – away from his prisoner's head, grip slowly releasing the body. The barrel was pointing closer and closer to Sal's head.

 _Bang._

The shot fired, whizzed right past Sal's face, and thunked into the wall.

 _Thump._

Sal's body collided with Tyler's, teeth sinking into the human's arm, causing him to wail in pain, hand spasming uncontrollably.

 _Bang._

Tyler's unconscious writhing caused another shot to go off, right towards Jeica, who was vaulting over a console with a taser in hand. Advena's tail flicked into the floor, catching her momentum and throwing her into the bullet's path, absorbing the projectile promptly before slamming into Jeica and sending them both hurtling into the floor.

Searing pain, then Jake was violently jerked back into reality as the link severed. Noises and lights clashed together in a cacophony of chaos as the gun clattered onto the floor. Advena screeched, her blood sizzled on the ground, and Tyler screamed at his Companion.

Jake stumbled to his feet long enough to carry him to his Xeno's side, where he collapsed and immediately searched for the wound.

" _I'm fine, I'm fine!_ " Advena insisted. _"Check Tyler!_ " And so he did. Sal was sitting on his haunches, staring at the wall in shock as a young scientist's crimson essence dripped from his teeth and onto the floor in a tiny puddle. Next to him, Tyler was writhing and sobbing on the floor, clutching his arm in a fetal position as if he could somehow stem the river of blood seeping from it. Jake did the only thing he could think of at that point. He stripped Tyler of his coat, removing it from the wound's path, pushing up the long sleeve of the man's undershirt so he could finally pry Tyler's hands away to get a look. His forearm had been mutilated; partly shredded and riddled with fairly deep gouges from the alien's teeth.

"Christ, I get called here every time that man sets foot on the bridge!" a medic complained as they burst into the room, having been called by Jeica a few moments prior. She knelt at Tyler's side, setting a first aid kit on the floor beside her, then immediately began instructing Jake on how to hold the arm so she could clean the wound and apply the appropriate disinfectants. "Fuck, take his damn shirt off!" she cursed when Tyler's blood-soaked sleeve flopped down in her way for the umpteenth time. Jake obliged, quickly tugging the article of clothing over the young man's head as he began sobbing. He gasped when he saw Tyler's naked torso for the first time – particularly the shapely scar running diagonally down his stomach. In ugly, pale scars, the word 'FAG' was written. The medic grimaced, but continued her work dutifully, wrapping his arm tightly in thick bandages, which seemed to fill with red as quickly as she could apply them. Finally, she cut the strip off the roll and tied it on and, thankfully, this time the cloth stayed a crisp white.

Tyler stared into the distance with wild eyes, shaking in terror or from cold, Jake couldn't tell. Regardless, he wrapped his arms around Tyler's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. He suddenly understood why Tyler was the way he was – the scar across his stomach may have been the only permanent mark, but that didn't mean Tyler hadn't suffered through more abuse than just that. But he didn't know the half of it. Jeica covered her mouth with her hand in horror as she stared at Tyler's back, and Jake glanced down, grimacing when he saw the criss-crossing scars; long, thin stripes haphazardly strewn across every bare inch of his skin. Whip marks, undoubtedly.

"I don't – I don't want to…" Tyler whimpered, but Jake just shushed him and exchanged a worried look with Advena. Mozart gently laid Tyler's coat across his back, and Jake took that as his cue to release his grip on his friend and haul himself off his knees. He helped Tyler to his feet and carefully led him back to his shuttle in silence, unable to say anything. What could you say in a situation like that?

" _Maybe we_ should _just let him go,_ " Advena pondered once they'd safely delivered him. " _The longer he stays here, the more he's going to hurt himself. This is, what? The second time? Third if you count Sal shooting him._ " Jake shook his head.

"No, not while he's like this. I'm going to have a talk with him as soon as he's feeling up to it – alone if it's all the same to you."

" _I understand. Best not to overwhelm him – plus, he still somewhat likes me. Wouldn't want to ruin that._ "

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Day)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake was weary as he stepped through the doorway into the ship's shooting range. He'd expected Tyler to take longer to recover, but one of the marines had reported seeing him wandering around, so Jake supposed it was as good a time as any. He supposed it was for the best anyway; the rebel lieutenant Parker had reported the ship was in better shape than he was used to, and they were making good time. They'd reach their destination a fair bit sooner than first expected. Which also meant there wasn't much time to sort this mess out before Tyler's next rash escape attempt.

Jake was especially worried, however, to find Tyler here of all places. Practising his weapons skills probably wasn't a good sign.

"Working on that aim?" he inquired casually when he spotted the young scientist sitting on a bench, idly eying up a service pistol. He took a seat next to him, but not too close. The bandage on his arm could probably use changing, and he looked tired and grim, but otherwise was much better than Jake had expected him to be.

"Taking my mind off things," Tyler answered, sliding the clip out and checking the magazine. Jake's militant mind could already tell he hadn't fired a shot yet – no casings on the floor, smell of gunpowder, blemishes on the barrel, nor any casing missing from the clip. He stood and paced over to one of the several booths in the room, levelling his weapon and squeezing an eye shut. Jake was impressed, and worried, when he observed the generic ready stance taught to most marine trainees who hadn't seen combat yet. Tyler's body was flawless, and when his finger tightened on the trigger, a hole appeared in the dead centre of the human-shaped target, a good twenty metres away.

"Survivable," Jake noted unthinkingly; he'd spent so long saying the same sorts of thing to Advena during their training. It seemed like so long ago now… then with twin _cracks_ of gunfire, he was brought back into reality. Tyler moved his arms smoothly between shots, hitting the target's head and heart. "Dead," Jake admitted.

"You know where I learned that?" Tyler asked suddenly, placing the gun on the booth's shelf and stepping out. Jake conceded that he did not, in fact, know where he had learned that. "Alex taught me. You remember Alex? Ah well, Parker mentioned him in passing, back when you didn't know I used to be a rebel. He was the man I fell in love with. See, the whipping, the whipping I'd had with me for a long time. Some crazy religious nuts trying to get me to repent for being gay. The big 'fag' on my stomach? I got that one from the Resistance. Ironically that's how I met, and fell in love with, Alex. Go figure. He was in the med bay for a bullet in the shoulder, and I arrived with a big bloody wound announcing my sexuality. And you know what he said to me?"

Tyler was smiling, but his eyes were shimmering with unshed tears as he spoke. He even managed half a chuckle at the memory. "Once the nurses have finished treating me, he turns to me and says: 'you know, there are easier ways to hook up with guys.' That's the first time I laughed in a long, long time, and the last time I cried for a while afterwards. When I was released, he was waiting for me with a box of chocolates and announced he was taking me to dinner. Then he walked me to the mess hall. Ha! He was a comedian, my Alex. Charming, suave, always able to make me smile. He gave me something to fight for."

Jake noticed a dribble of blood run down Tyler's palm, before dripping soundlessly to the floor. Tyler followed his gaze and laughed humourlessly at the sight. "Guess I overdid it a bit."

"Come on, let's get you to the med bay."

"Alright." And so they walked. "But I'm still going to leave eventually, you know." Tyler said matter-of-factly. "If I stay, I'll have something to lose. I don't want to go through that again; becoming attached to someone."

"So you'd rather spend the rest of your life meaninglessly flitting from planet to planet, running away from any kind of healthy relationship?"

"Yes."

"Tyler, you can't just –"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Jake. This is my life, and I'll do whatever it takes to get control back."

"Except kill," Jake pointed out. "You didn't kill your hostage, you didn't kill Sal, and you didn't kill me, despite being perfectly capable of doing so." They stopped on the threshold of the med bay, where Tyler spread his arms out dramatically.

"Because every time you kill someone, you create another one of me. A broken, fucked-up, confused and lonely human who's eternally afraid. Every life has someone who loves them, cares about them, needs them, can't live without them. Think on that next time you pick up your rifle, Sergeant Harlor." Then Tyler stepped back, disappearing into the depths of the infirmary, leaving Jake to sigh, shove his hands in his pockets, and shuffle back to his room, where Advena would be awaiting some sharing of his memories.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, like this?" Jeica inquired, cracking one eye open in order to stare at her Xenomorph, Mozart. He hummed for a second, then plopped himself onto his haunches in front of her.

" _Yes, this should do._ " Jeica shook her head at him bemusedly, shutting both her eyes once more as she sat cross-legged atop a table in the centre of the mess hall. She took a deep breath, and began shutting out the cacophony of the lunchtime crowd in favour of the steady thumping of her heart. Slowly, she felt another presence join her, and she could feel their mighty heartbeats merge together, booming as one. Then another, and another. Emotions swirled before her, thoughts and memories drifting by like fireflies in the night, just out of reach.

" _I feel like a monk,_ " she told her companion.

" _Shh. Do you feel it?_ "

" _Yes… kind of._ "

" _You are part of the Hive now; your mind is in sync of those around you; your emotions flowing between us. Feel it. Feel the joy of the other Bonded, feel every smile and tear. We are all as one now, a family._ "

" _Man, this is weird. So, why are you showing me this anyway? Not that I don't love ascending beyond being a single entity or whatever._ "

" _Once we have a Queen, you will be able to use this connection to mass-distribute information, or memories, or thoughts or feelings. This connection within the members of a Hive is one of the most important aspects of Xenomorph life. This is the glue which holds our society together. This is how we learn, share, work… survive. You are apart of this now._ "

" _Damn, Jake didn't tell me any of this! We should be working on getting a Xenomorph Queen, not mucking around with plans of defence!_ "

" _I doubt Jacob knows,_ " Mozart soothed her, _"Advena is not the type to take things slow and just appreciate what we have. At least, not beyond her own Bond. Besides, a Bond between a Queen and her Host is special, and cannot be forced or rushed. We cannot just have any Xenomorph as our Queen, and nor can any old human be Bonded to her. Bear in mind the Queen and her Bonded see all; even the private thoughts and emotions exchanged between Bonded pairs are not hidden from them. The Queen and her Bonded can use even the most intimate of abilities, such as body-swapping, with any member of her Hive. It is a great power, which must be handled with respect, honour and responsibility._ "

" _Wow…_ " was all Jeica could muster.

" _Now, open your eyes, and give a face to these emotions you feel._ " Jeica did as she was told, and locked her vision onto a nearby pair. A young scientist with thin glasses perched on her nose and a lab coat that was a few sizes too big stood shyly to one side as a Xenomorph Drone knelt to her level, nuzzling her comfortingly. Embarrassment and insecurity radiated from the girl, but the strong male before her was offering gentle encouragement and support, which slowly began pushing those negative emotions away, and replacing them with a shy sense of joy and pride. Jeica couldn't help the warm smile which graced her lips at the exchange. Her eyes roamed to drink in another pair, when suddenly, the flow of telepathic energy was stemmed, sliding away like a sand castle getting washed away by the ocean.

" _Jeica…_ " Mozart whined.

" _I'm sorry, I just… what if Jake and Advena didn't use protection? Could Advena get pregnant?_ "

" _Jeica, that's biologically impossible – we are two different species. Xenomorphs lay eggs and humans give live birth, for example. We just aren't compatible that way. It is common practice, however, for two Xenomorphs or two humans from mirrored relationships to get together and have children, to be raised by the interspecies couple. For example, if you and I were in a relationship, we could hook up with Jake and Advena to have children, then share the offspring amongst ourselves and raise them in our romantic pairs._ "

"Aw, Mozart! Gross!"

" _What? It was an example! I-I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to y-you know, make it easier to understand because I know I'm not that good at explaining things and could probably end up confusing you with poor explanations which would be bad because the last thing I want for us is miscommunication and –_ " Jeica placed a hand over Mozart's face, despite the fact it wouldn't stop him from talking had he not understood the gesture.

"It's okay Mo'," she giggled. "I understand, thank you for the explanation." Mozart sighed and nodded weakly.

" _Y-yeah, okay Jeica._ " They sat in silence for a moment, merely observing the going-ons which surrounded them, unable to properly slip back into the zone of tranquillity which would allow the interconnectedness to come back. " _If you like… I could share some memories with you. You know, like, what it was like in my Hive. I was born to a different Queen to Advena and Sal, after all, so there might be something interesting you haven't seen before._ "

" _That sounds great Mo'. I actually haven't heard a whole lot from the others anyway. What, with Sal being too busy trying to fix his broken relationship, and Advena being caught up in fucking Jake._ " Mozart chuckled with a slight, neon green blush adorning his face, which had Jeica cooing at how adorable it was. This only made him blush harder, of course.

" _You ready?_ " he asked eventually, once he'd gotten over his bashfulness. Jeica laid herself upon the table, Mozart quickly lying down behind her so as to prevent her head from resting on the cold metal of the table. Instead, Jeica found herself lying on his soft flank, rising and falling slightly with his every breath.

"Ready," she confirmed, shutting her eyes now that she was comfortable. It was strange, feeling someone else's memory for the first time. For starters, thoughts and feelings which weren't yours flooded your head, your perceptions changed, your voice switched and the sights around you changed. For the duration of the memory, you weren't yourself anymore – you _were_ the memory. And so Jeica's very own being was unravelled and contorted into that of a younger Mozart.

 _Pain. Why do they feel the need to hurt people – we are all Xenomorphs here. We are all just trying to survive, so why the pain? My side is bleeding, the claw marks don't go very deep, but they hurt. Oh, they hurt. My body is lifted into the air. It's not fair – the adults grow so fast, but I'm so small. Mother says it's because they've already grown up once, they don't need to do it again. I don't need to grow up, I just need to be big and strong like them so I can fight off the bad humans. As Mother brings me close to her chest, the little arms grab me too. Mother is so gentle, and she rocks me from side to side softly as if I'm just a little baby._

 _"_ _Why are you so nice, and the others so mean?_ " _I ask her._

 _"_ _Oh my child, the others are not mean, they are your teachers. You tell me you want to be big and strong, but strength comes with practise. When the others hurt you, they are teaching you_ how _to fight, and when I hold you, I am reminding you_ why _you fight. The humans will not stop until we are all dead, so you must not stop either. The others teach you what it feels like to hurt, so that you know how to overcome the pain._ "

" _Why do the humans hate us, Mother? Why won't they let us Bond with them?_ "

" _Because we are a long way from home, darling. The humans are hurt by us, even when we don't mean to. Just like you do not like being hurt, neither do the humans. This is why they fight us, child._ "

" _Can we ever go back home, and leave the humans be?" I whimper. I don't want to hurt people. I know what it feels like to be hurt, and I don't want to make others feel as I do now._

 _"_ _I am afraid not, young one. We are lost, and we may never find our home again. But that is all the more reason to value family. For without a home, or a family, we are nothing but memories."_

 _"_ _I think I understand now. About why the others hurt me. Because if I do not hurt sometimes, then how will I ever understand the pain of others?"_

 _"_ _How right you are my child. You are destined for great things, little one. Know that wherever you find yourself, I will always love you, and I am always proud of you."_

"Mo'…" Jeica whispered, feeling bittersweet tears welling up within herself.

" _That is one of the most treasured memories I have of my Mother. I just, wanted you to see it. She was incredible._ "

"Where… where is she now?"

" _In a deceased specimen preservation storage area in some isolated planet's laboratory._ "

"I'm sorry…"

" _Aren't we all? Our species have done terrible things to one another, but now, now we can fix all that, can't we? We can make this right._ " Jeica smiled and rubbed his domed head affectionately.

"You better believe it."

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~

" _Do you feel it?_ " the elderly Xenomorph asked curiously. This one had seen many years of survival, in more than one Hive. A survivor. It showed too; even though he was a Drone, small bumps had appeared on his domed head, as well as some wavy protrusions forming the beginnings of a crest. Scars criss-crossed his body, and a single finger was missing from his left hand. This one was a survivor all right, he had been in the same body for longer than Xenos like Sal and Advena had been alive. He was one of the Xenomorphs who were captured and transferred to the station, rather than being hatched there.

Sal lifted his head slightly, peering at the superior being timidly.

" _Yes…_ " he hissed back slowly.

" _That is how you know. You must wait for that feeling before body-swapping with your Host, or sharing memories or any such activity. Forcing yourself upon your Bonded will only cause strife, mistrust, paranoia, and possibly resentment. Communication and respect are key in any relationship._ "

" _But what if respecting your Bonded costs you their life? What if the only way to save them is to forcefully take over?_ "

" _If your Bonded loves and trusts you, they will come to you first in any unfavourable situation. There will be no need for forcefulness, for they will already be inviting you with open arms, unless you have caused them grief enough to mistrust you._ "

" _But –_ "

" _No buts! Enough questions Salvator Doelle, these are the rules, and you are expected to obey them._ "

" _My Bonded is worth more to me than your stupid rules! What do you know about Bonding anyway – your Host is probably dead!_ " Sal, oddly enough, felt the Xenomorph before him remembering his Host, the words having triggered a reaction within his mind. Sal, in his frustration, seized that memory and forced his way in, as if ripping the lid off a can.

 _No… no! What… it can't be! Why? How? When? Why? Why? I can't think of anything else but that burning question. Why? What? Why? The creature before me is unlike anything I've seen before, and dead. Very, very dead. A big hole through their chest from whence I had emerged. But why? I don't understand, why? Why didn't she survive? What is happening? Where are we? I want my Host. I want my Host. I_ NEED _my host! I need them… I need them to hold me… please… why?_

Sal shook his head violently, clearing it of the feelings of trauma, shock and confusion which hadn't belonged to him in the first place. From the Xenomorph before him, radiated an emotion he never expected. Fear. And not because of the memory, the creature's terrified gaze was set on _him_.

" _Get out,_ " the elder ordered. Sal tried to say something, apologise, console, anything, but couldn't get a word in edgewise. " _Out!_ " So he turned tail and fled. He scampered out of the small workshop within the engine room, through the dull, metal corridors, into the cleaner habitation decks, and kept running. He knew he shouldn't have been able to do that – only two consenting, Bonded individuals or a Queen should be able to do that. He'd been attending enough lessons with his elder to know that much. He briefly wondered how he was going to learn about Xenomorph etiquette now that he'd just gotten rejected by the only elder willing to associate with him. Then his mind turned back to panic.

He skidded to a halt outside of Jacob's private quarters, and ran his dexterous hands over the controls clumsily. With ease not practised by himself, he ran a bypass, allowing him to scamper inside and plant himself face-down on the couch within. As much as h dreaded it, he needed to talk to Advena.


	15. Chapter 15: Family

**A/N: Just a heads-up that I ran out of pre-written material with the last chapter, which means I'm writing as I go from this point onwards. The reason being that I have the ending two chapters written out already, but I don't feel the story is quite ready for that yet. Subsequently, the next chapter or two may take slightly longer to get out in order to avoid short/poorly written material (this one is pushing my 4k word minimum as it is). I hope you all understand.**

 _"_ _What was that? I heard movement!"_

 _"_ _Let's get out of here!"_

 _"_ _Wait – over there!"_

 _"_ _Is that a… oh my god. Look at it, it's a newborn!"_

 _"_ _Someone's coming…"_

 _"_ _We can't just leave it here! Grab it. Grab it quickly and let's go!" Rough hands on my body. Ouchie, where's mummy? Where is friend? Who these people? I want home._

 _"_ _Do you see those creatures, little one?" the Drone next to me asks. He is Coward, and he is my dad. Courage is my other dad, but he's not here right now. He's a Drone too. Claws is my auntie, but she isn't around much – she spends most of her time hunting, keeping the family fed._

 _"_ _Yes," I reply. Through the gaps between the ventilation cover's grate, I can spy on the small group of weird pink creatures below us. Well, not all of them are pink. In Xenomorphs, the special coloured ones are the strongest – I wonder if this applies to the creatures below us too? But no, all of them are wearing special armour which they can peel off themselves – if they were strong, they wouldn't need that. Nor would they need the guns they carried. Courage has been teaching me lots about these creatures; 'humans'. Coward doesn't like to be near them, because they're dangerous to us when our family is as small as it is. I don't see anything wrong with my family, but Claws says that this is all wrong, and that we should have died with the rest of them. Claws scares me sometimes; I'm glad she isn't around much._

 _"_ _Those creatures will kill you if they ever see you. Never ever go near one, you hear me? Promise me you will stay away from humans." Coward is funny; he isn't very brave, and he's scared for me all the time. I'm not scared, but I love Coward, so I nod._

 _"_ _I promise." He nuzzles me gently and coos. "Ugh, I'm not a baby anymore!" But he just pushes me over with his big head and rubs his face from my chest all the way up to my chin, and I can't help but giggle._

 _"_ _Oi, you two! Claws is back with some food, hurry up," Courage yells to us. I get a fright, before remembering that the humans can't hear us talk. They_ can _hear us run though, so I make extra sure to tiptoe along the vents on my way home._

 _The rain, is beautiful, and melancholy. I like the way it pitter-patters on my hard, domed carapace. It makes its own soft lullaby. But the way it falls from the sky reminds me of tears falling from a human's eye. I guess both are appropriate; today I bid goodnight to my family for the last time. I wish I was a human, if only for a moment, so I could at least shed a tear. Instead, I can only stare at the four mutilated corpses and let the rain drip from my dome. I'm not angry at the Queen, maybe because I understand how the hurt of losing a family she felt could drive somebody crazy, or maybe because now all I feel is an empty void within me._

 _Gone. Gone is Coward and his funny, jumpy ways. Gone is Courage and the way he would snuggle up with me on cold nights, or lick my wounds clean when I was hurt. Gone is Claws in her ferocious desperation to save the last family she had. Gone is my tail, my right leg, and a lot of my blood, long since having stopped sizzling in the rain. I think one of my spines is hanging loose from my back too, but I wouldn't know. I can't feel anything but the numbness inside and the rain on my skin._

 _Gone. Gone like my Queen, gone like my Host, and gone like the humans we'd slaughtered. Ungracefully, I pick myself up onto my remaining limbs and hobble over to where a gaping hole leads into the human colony. Well, I guess it's my colony now, because the humans are gone. Everyone is gone. Soon enough, the rain will be gone too. But then I feel something as I drag myself through the endless, dark, twisting corridors. Someone who is not gone. Several someones, a whole room of someones! A sea of eggs, many holding a dormant life, sleeping until a Host comes to them. The Queen who had once ruled over this Hive had disappeared, but she left behind a pile of eggs, empty but for the life-giving royal jelly. A new family, I could help them like Coward and Courage helped me, I could keep them safe, and fight for them, like Claws fought for us. All I had to do was wait. The next thing I'll know, I'll either be hatching, or dead. It's a win-win. So I begin using my remaining strength to cocoon myself within my resin, scooping up handfuls of royal jelly to aid me. This time, I will be faster. I will be so fast that I'll be able to run circles around humans._

 _Light. Blinding, piercing light. It's been so long since I've seen something so radiant. It hurts a little, actually. And the white-washed walls just reflect and strengthen that light. My frail little body is clasped tightly by cold, uncaring, unyielding, metal fingers. A machine – a human machine. I wriggle and writhe within its grasp, until I can see the prone form of my host below me. Breathing. Eyes closed, inner workings of his chest exposed, but alive. The machine whirrs and hums, quickly stitching up the wound so only an ugly scar and binding staples remain on the human. Not gone. My Host, is not gone. I have a Host. I have a Host! My celebrations are cut short when I'm plopped forcefully into a small, glass tube. A human dressed in a white coat and blue mask quickly snaps on a lid, sealing me in tight._

 _"_ Take this one to specimen containment, _" it says, handing my prison over to another white-coat human. Scientists, probably medical scientists. Doctors, perhaps. What did that make the human on the operating table? A patient, or an experiment? Neither. He is my Host. As I'm carried away, I'm struck with the realisation that Courage never talked to me about Hosts. They always died when we impregnated them, so he'd concentrated on the more important things. Maybe he would have told me if he'd lived a bit longer – how happy he'd be to see me with my very own Host! I suppose I just have to wing it, as they say. It can't be that hard, I'm sure I'll do fine. All I need to do is make sure nobody ever touches my Host in a way we don't like. Easy._

 _"_ Well, no, Latin is a dead language. I just look up translations on the internet – you know what the internet is, right? _"_

 _"_ _Of course. Isn't humanity based around information technology?" I ask him. He chuckles, that wonderful, joyous sound he makes when he finds something funny. It reminds me of how Coward used to croon when I amused him. I like my Host, he is beautiful. He's not very strong, or brave, but that's okay. I am. I mean, his mental defences were so weak – Courage always told me to envision them as a wall, and Tyler's walls could not keep anyone out. So what do you do when a wall can't keep anyone out? You tear it down, and build a new one. Now he has_ my _mental strength, and nobody can ever touch his mind! Well, except me. My own walls don't keep me out, after all._

 _"_ Yeah, you said it. You know, we've known each other for a while now, and you've been nothing but kind to me. I haven't felt so… cared for, supported or encouraged in a long, long time. You do so much for me, even if it is just kind words, and I don't even know your name. _"_

 _"_ _Well, I was hoping you would pick one out for me, Tyler."_

 _"_ Actually, I've got one. I was looking at naming a ship this, but turns out the ship was already called 'Merciful Indictor', so I've held on to it. It means 'saviour' in Latin. Because you've really saved me, from the cold, uncaring world, the pain, and myself. Do you think you'll like it? _"_

 _"_ _The name has feeling behind it; meaning. I'm sure it will be perfect, Tyler, just as you are." I can feel him smiling now. He cannot see me in our dream world, because I choose not to show myself to him. I know it would only scare him, and I want him to feel safe around me. I will always protect him. But more importantly, I can see him, I can see the expression of happiness, and the innocent excitement twinkle in his eyes._

 _"_ Salvator. Or, for short, Sal. _"_

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Sal awoke groggily, raising his head off the soft surface. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for Jake and Advena, who still hadn't shown up yet – at least to his knowledge. Maybe he should go look for them. But as he got to his feet and stretched, he noticed that the very people he had been thinking about were right there with him, staring at him patiently from across the room.

"You're up," Jake observed. "Looks like you've inherited some of Tyler's more annoying habits too." He gestured towards the door, which was stuck in the open position due to Sal's reckless tampering.

" _I'm sorry… I didn't know what to do. I was scared, and Advena was the only one I could think of to go to,_ " Sal apologised. Jake sighed and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two Xenomorphs alone with one another. Before she could ask what the problem was, Sal blurted out everything. He told her of how he could feel people's Bonds, and how he had stolen the elder's memory right from his mind. He told her of how he could seemingly sense when people were thinking or remembering something, and how he didn't know if he could make it stop.

So, in return, Advena told him about the Shallow-Bonds and the effects of his dysfunctional relationship with Tyler.

" _Just, don't tell Tyler, okay? He doesn't need to know about this while he's trying to escape from us. It'll only bring more strife on us all._ "

" _More so than lying to him? Again?_ " Sal demanded.

" _Yes._ "

" _Fine, then I'll wait until this all blows over before I tell him, but that's as much as I can promise you._ "

" _Sal,_ " Advena sighed gently, for once losing her biting tone. The Xenomorph in question huffed peevishly because this new tone wasn't much better. Pity. Advena pitied him. " _I care about Tyler as much as you do, and as such I can see that even before all this, he wasn't exactly the most stable of people. Surely you can see this too._ "

" _And surely you can understand that lying to Tyler and deciding what should happen to him, for him, hasn't worked out for me in the past. He's giving me a second chance, and I fully intend to do it right this time. No secrets, no lies and no controlling._ "

" _Great,_ now _is the time you pick to be a proper Companion._ " And it was back, Advena's aggressively distasteful tone of voice, ever-present in conversations with only one person in particular. Before Sal could hiss back a reply, Jake stepped back into the room with a radio in hand.

"'Vena, Sal, Tyler's trying to get into the bridge again. Come on."

"Give that here you fat idiot – I am not!" Tyler's voice protested over the small handheld device. "Did you say Sal's there? I've been looking for him."

"Depends. If he is here, are you going to be a good boy and not try to abandon ship?"

"If you don't tell me, I'll be a good boy and find the biggest damn rifle in the armoury and shove it right up your –" Jake grimaced and clicked the radio off, shrugging innocently to the two Xenomorphs.

"Too soon?" Advena rolled his eyes at him – an annoying habit she was taking up – and sauntered out of the room, her mannerisms making it clear she expected the two boys to follow. Sal quickly hopped across the floor to catch up, both eager and apprehensive to see what his Host wanted with him, leaving Jake to pocket his handset and follow along behind them placidly.

Jake hadn't seen Tyler since they'd last spoken, so he took the opportunity to say hi and ask him how he was feeling. Or, at least he tried to. But as soon as the trio made it to the bridge door, where Tyler was waiting impatiently with his arms folded peevishly, the scientist took Sal by the arm and left. "Good talk," Jake muttered to himself under his breath. At least Tyler wasn't trying to escape – in fact, he was reconnecting with Sal, which was something _helpful_ for once. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad.

Meanwhile, Tyler led his Xenomorph to a quiet, out of the way corridor before finally stopping and turning to his companion.

"Hey," he said softly, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. "You shared some memories with me earlier… did you mean to do that?" Sal shook his head slowly. "I thought as much. We had some good times, didn't we?" Sal nodded, not really trusting himself to speak for the moment. "And you've had a lot of bad times too… like me. I guess we really are a match made in heaven." Tyler chuckled at his own irony, surprising his partner by placing a hand on his cheek gently. "You know, if you and I were still back on that damned station, I really think this could have worked. But now that Jake's made this stupid revolution thing happen, we're kinda… on opposite teams, I guess. Who knows, maybe with some time, you could have convinced me to join you, but I'm not too fond of this shit-show as it stands. Jake's sloppy, and there's no way we can possibly escape Weyland. Our only hope, really, is to surrender."

" _You're wrong. There will be no hope if we surrender. Our hope lies in a brighter future, Tyler. These people are willing to die for that, but if you're not, nobody is going to think less of you. We don't expect you to fight, or die, for us or our beliefs. We just don't want you to find yourself on the wrong side._ "

"Sal… maybe… maybe we can try again, later. With people who aren't complete idiots, under a flag that will actually rally people to us. Please, just come with me. Help me get off this ship, then help me save these people. We don't have to give up Sal, we just need to retreat and look at this objectively for a bit. Please Sal, please, come with me. I want you with me. We could fix our relationship in a safe environment – with Weyland's blessing and protection no less!"

" _I'm sorry Tyler, I cannot. I don't want us to fix our relationship in a safe environment – I want us to fix our relationship in a_ free _environment. Think about it – no more prejudice against gays, no more experiments or slave labour, no more corrupt governments, no more lies and deceit._ " Sal clasped Tyler's hands gently and let that sink in for a moment, gazing intently upon the young man's face. Finally, Tyler slipped his hands away, and turned to leave.

"I promise I'll do everything in my power to save you guys, but I can only do that if you're willing to be saved." And then Sal was left standing alone in the corridor, staring at the floor sullenly. He was close – so close – to winning Tyler over. Weakly, he wondered if he'd be happier taking Tyler's advice and joining him under Weyland's rule. With all his talk of freedom, he was still unsure if it was going to be worth it, or if they really were going to crash and burn. Maybe Tyler was right, and maybe he could sprint over to him and catch him before he locked himself away. Maybe he still had time to change his mind, and maybe he and his human would live happily ever after.

But then what of everyone else? What of the less fortunate, and what of his species? He would be abandoning it all for his own selfish pursuits, and as tempting as that was, he couldn't bring himself to do it. The best thing he could do for Tyler now was stay firm in his position of righteousness, because if he didn't, then Tyler truly would never be persuaded away from his pessimistic views.

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

Jeica and Jake looked up from their game of tic-tac-toe to drink in the sight of the newcomer who was stepping through the bridge doorway. Lieutenant Parker, rebel leader, spread his arms in greeting whilst flashing his signature smile.

"Well, would you look at that; the whole dang family is here. Keeping yourselves occupied I see," the rebel remarked.

"Yeah, well, what else can ya do? There's not much else to do but play games and smooch on this ship," Jake told him, before pushing the board away slowly, subtly avoiding Jeica's notice.

"Oh yeah? You and the General a couple now?"

"Lieutenant Colonel, actually," Jeica corrected him, "I don't think I've earned the right to be a general in this army yet. And no, I'm not the one who Jake's 'smooching'."

"Oh yeah? Well who's the lucky gal then, the alien?" Parker joked. He deadpanned when everyone remained quiet, Jeica with an eyebrow raised in amusement at the blunder. "Wait, the _alien_? You're fucking an… you know what? I'm not even going to question it. I'm just gonna let that one slide; off the plate, onto the floor, and under the rug. Boy, lovely weather we're having, right?" Jake could probably have gotten a little more fun out of the uncomfortable man, but suddenly remembered something he'd been meaning to bring up for a while.

"Actually, now that we're all here, I thought we should discuss accommodations on this new planet," he decided. Parker chuckled and rubbed his hands together eagerly, glad for the change of topic.

"Well, it won't exactly be brilliant when you first arrive – we have some abandoned bunkers we can use to house your crew while we build more houses – but we have a couple of cabins spare for the leaders, of course," Parker explained.

"Yeah, but then we have the question of Xenomorphs. We need a place for them to set up a Hive, and we need Hosts. We need to build a symbiotic society, where both humans and Xenomorphs can live in unity."

" _There is also an interesting issue regarding newborns,_ " Advena pointed out. " _The species with which we originally Bonded could survive the implantation and hatching processes regardless of age. There was a special time where, while the Bond between the two younglings is formed, the Xenomorph would remain inside their Host and they would share the body once they had grown enough mentally. That way, should they choose to mate, they would be of similar age. Human children however… aren't… very good… at, er… surviving…_ " Advena paused miserably for a second, glancing away ashamedly. " _So either we would have to implant newborn Xenomorphs in adult humans, which would cause all kinds of mental chaos and Bond disparity, or, we could implant human children and leave the embryos within them for several years, until they are physically capable of the removal process._ "

"But we're talking a decade or more here," Jake disputed, "there's no way that would work – especially if the Xenomorph and human didn't get along well. What about this – and hear me out here – we keep a livestock, right?" Thoughtful nods. "We hatch the Xenos out of animals, then re-implant them in the human of their choosing once they're both old enough. That way, they'll be able to Bond properly, and the human will survive."

"That's a god-awful way to kill animals, Jake. Even if we used their bodies for food and wasted nothing, it's just… too cruel. Inhumane," Jeica argued.

" _Well, the animals don't necessarily have to die…_ " Mozart suggested. " _We could remove embryos from them as we do from humans, couldn't we?_ "

" _And leave the Xenomorph Bonded to a mindless animal? Are you insane?_ " Advena practically screeched.

"But the Bond would be severed as soon as they hatched from a new Host, right?" Jake inquired. Advena shook her head.

" _Bonds last until death, Jake. Hatching an animal-Bonded Xenomorph from a human would make things twice as bad – you'd have a human, Xenomorph, and animal all linked together in a telepathic triangle. That's a terrible idea. This is terrible, how are we supposed to make this work?_ "

"Well, you never said that the animal couldn't die," Parker added. "I mean, we take an animal who's queued up for the slaughterhouse, impregnate them with a Xenomorph, extract the Xeno painlessly, then send the animal on its merry way, where it will be killed humanely and sold for meat."

" _That would work…_ " Mozart mused.

"Then I guess it'll have to do until we find something better," Jake sighed.

"Yeah? And what are Xenos gonna look like once they start coming out of cows?" Jeica snorted.

" _Er, Xenomorphs can choose their forms, Jeica,_ " Mozart explained. " _Well, they can choose out of a list of roles they are capable or worthy of. Such as I could have been a Drone, Defender or Spitter Xeno, based on my personality and skill. I chose Drone, of course, because I didn't much fancy leaking acid or being tasked with dragging kicking, screaming Hosts back to the Hive._ " Mozart shuddered at the thought, prompting Jeica to give him a light pat on the head.

"Even if you're just a boring old Drone, it's what's on the inside that makes you special Mo'," she cooed. Jake stifled a chuckle by clearing his throat innocently and itching his chin, while Advena bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. "What?" Jeica demanded, placing her hands on her hips irritably.

"Oh, nothing… Sergeant Sap…"

" _Yes… as you were, General W. Gooey… the 'W' stands for warm'n', because, y'know, that warm'n'gooey feeling you get when –_ "

"Advena, don't explain it. It's less funny when you do that."

" _Yeah well, I went for the less generic joke, so it probably went over everyone's heads_."

"Yeah, I don't get it, was that like a dirty joke, or…?" Parker asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

"Shut up Parker."

" _Yeah, shut up Parker. This is between us._ "

"A lover's dispute," Jake agreed with a sly grin.

" _An_ intimate _lover's dispute. You know, not the kind of lovers that just watch romantic movies together and kiss with no tongue. Like, the really raunchy kind of lovers that climb into bed together and –_ "

"OKAY! I'm outta here," Parker cried, throwing his hands into the air and marching out of the room. Jake chuckled as he stared at the man's receding back, holding up his fist so Advena could bump hers against it in victory. Jeica cleared her throat, gaining their attention so she could regard them curiously.

"So… I know you guys were just joking around and all, but, do you like, actually kiss with tongue? Like, how does that even work with Xenomorphs? You know, with the weird…" Jeica held up a hand and flapped it around like a little mouth to get her point across, which had the two lovers in a fit of laughter.

"Oh Jeica, you're such a deviant. Just admit it already – no point asking us when Mozart can show you first hand!"

"You two are just as bad as each other!" Jeica scoffed. "Come on Mo', let's ditch these lunatics."

"Don't forget to use protection!" Jake hollered at her when she tried to retreat from the bridge.

"Oh, you mean like you and Advena did?" Jeica yelled back. "I hope you get an intergalactic STI!"

"Ah, we have fun here," Jake sighed, before folding his arms behind his head and reclining leisurely. "Yup, life's great when things stop blowing up for a moment."


	16. Chapter 16: Then and Now

**A/N: For those of you who feel the story is dragging on a bit, fear not. I promise this is the last chapter the cast will spend on this damned ship.**

 _"_ _All right chicks and pricks; we're planetside. We've got heavy enemy action on the surface and moderate civilian count; check your fire and watch out for ambushes. The Rebels have this place dark and heavily fortified, so they'll have the upper hand. But those bastards won't be expecting an attack from the 501_ _st_ _Paratrooper Battalion!"_

 _"_ _Oorah!" Deep breaths. Take it slow. The Sergeant strolls down the isle, keeping one hand on the overhead railing in case the dropship lurches. I'm clutching the harness which keeps me strapped securely to my seat so tightly my knuckles are white. The Sergeant stops and turns to me with a lopsided smile._

 _"_ _Corporal Smith, I heard you and your fireteam just got shipped in. Welcome to the family, greenhorn." And then the bay doors open. The harnesses spring loose, and the breath-taking adrenaline kicks in. Now, everyone runs simulations and drills at some point in their life – you can't not. But to do it for real – to really jump right into the action from thousands of feet in the air – is something else entirely._

 _The air is deafening, whipping past me as I dive, streamlined. My breath echoes in my ears because of the mask I'm wearing, thick goggles keeping the terminal velocity wind from stinging my retinas. The dark, dusk skies are filled with a rain of ghostly-silent troopers, all speeding stoically towards the ground, chins squared and eyes set on their target._

 _"_ _Initiate deployment!" my Sergeant barks over the comms. The soldiers around me flip their bodies so their feet are pointed towards the ground and yank their cords. I take a deep breath, and follow suit. Once my view has tilted by one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, I yank the ring set into my armour, causing the jets to flare. A readout on my HUD shows my speed being decimated, moments before a parachute flies out of my back, jerking away what little speed I had left. In a matter of ten, maybe twenty seconds, my feet touch solid ground. Yeah, that's right. Wasting even a few seconds up there results in death; we deploy fast and low to the ground for maximum stealth – giant sheets floating in the air are too easy to target. "Move up!" my sergeant orders, and so we do. We shrug off our packs, slide our weapons out of their holsters and begin jogging, crouched low to the ground, towards the nearest gate into the colony._

 _It's too dark to make out the landscape, which poses a risk of ambush. Our sergeant's insane for making us run out in the open. Then again, the whole point of our division is it's too insane to be considered a real military tactic. That's what makes it such a great sneak attack. "Gerome, get some explosives on that metal – we're going loud."_

 _"_ _Yes Sir!" Private Gerome barks back, sliding to his knees at the foot of the enormous, steel gates which bar our path. I take a moment to look around, scanning the landscape as he fiddles with some dangerous devices. I can see three other gates into the colony, each with a team standing by, setting charges. We're going to bust in simultaneously from multiple fronts, confusing them with chaos, noise and efficient troop distribution. Classic. They won't know how many troops are coming from which direction, which will mess up their deployments. Gerome waves us all back to a safe distance and tugs a detonator off his belt. An explosion rocks the still air, distant and rumbling. Gerome takes that as his cue and twists the knob on the top of his device, causing the explosives to detonate, bathing us in hot air and clouding our vision with plumes of fire and smoke._

 _We charge in, guns at the ready, grenades paving a path. But the night falls silent once more as we draw to a confused stop. Empty. Dark. We flick our torches on and proceed quietly._

 _"_ _Smith, check administration. We'll advance towards the colony centre," my sergeant hisses. I nod, and quickly break away from the group. Turnstiles block my path in the arrivals area, but it's not as if a few metal bars are going to stop me. I vault over them, and continue treading carefully down the deserted corridors. Still, the silence is deafening. No gunfire, no explosions, no alarms. Surely at least one of our teams would have come across an enemy, or even a civilian, by now. And yet, not a peep from the radios either._

 _I jump in fright, a light rustling causing me to whirl around in circles, gun held at the ready, chest tight and breaths shallow. I sigh in frustration when I spot the plastic bag drifting to the floor, uncaring of the heart attack it nearly gave me. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and continue. Maybe the rebels pulled out without us knowing. They left valuable equipment here though; the labs I've passed are stocked full of standard colony equipment, both medical and otherwise, on top of which lay some armaments and other rebel gear. If they left, they did so in a hurry, and a blind panic. Maybe they caught wind of what was coming for them?_

 _Finally, I reach the administration office. The computers are, of course, down, but these guys must have a paperback copy of personnel records somewhere. That's all I need. I reach for the door controls, then remember they're dead. Instead, I scour the area for tools which I can use to open it. Just as I stumble across a crowbar, the radio crackles to life._

 _"_ _SHIT! WE HAVE CONTACTS! WE NEED BACK-UP AT THE MEDICAL – PRIVATE, LOOK OUT!" Then the voices cut out into screams and gunfire. So much gunfire. It was an ambush._

 _"_ _We have civilians over here, but they won't open the door. Cutting in so we can evac. Will not be able to assist Red Team, over."_

 _"_ _Yellow Team, abandoning objective to assist, over."_

 _"_ _Blue Team, reading motion on the sensors. Taking up positions and unable to assist, over."_

 _"_ _Purple Team, got some unconscious civilians, taking them back to the LZ, unable to assist, over."_

 _"_ _Brown Team, nearing Red Team's last known position, should we engage, over?"_

 _"_ _Brown Team, hold position, we're almost there."_

 _"_ _Negative! Negative! We have contacts! Shit – it's not the – OH GOD NO!"_

 _"_ _Brown Team, Brown Team respond. We're coming to get you, please respond!"_

 _"_ _Purple Team, abandoning objective! The civs are compromised! We have Xenos!"_

 _"_ _All teams, fall back to the security sector!" the Lieutenant Colonel ordered. I abandon my crowbar and sprint. The security centre isn't too far from here, but I'm alone. If even one Xeno catches me out in the open like this, I'm gone. So I run. I run, and stumble and trip in the dark, but no matter what, I don't stop running. Then a ventilation grate clatters to the floor in the corridor ahead. I can make it. I push myself to the limit, head down I boost myself even faster. But it's not enough. A tail drapes out of the vents as I pass underneath, slapping me across the face, cutting my cheek and causing my feet to slip out from beneath me. Pain wracks my body as I hit the hard floor, and from my position on the ground, I can see the midnight black form slowly oozing out of the dark hole in the ceiling._

 _No, I was so close… it can't be… It drops to the floor, and pads towards me. I futilely attempt to roll onto my feet, but a strong hand pushes me back down to the floor. It hisses, long and slow, and its saliva drips from its maw onto my stinging cheek. And then it grabs my arms and begins dragging me. Realisation hits me. It knows I'm too tired, too weak to fight back. It's dragging me back to its Hive, to impregnate me. I squirm weakly in its iron grip, but it won't let up. I jerk my hands this way and that, trying desperately to free one – just one – hand, that's all I need. Then fortune smiles upon me. My hand slips out of the Xeno's grip, leaving it holding the watch it had been gripping me by, and my hand flies to my hip. Before the Xenomorph can even figure out how it lost my hand, my pistol is pressed into its chin and firing rounds point blank into its throat, ripping through the flesh of its mouth and into its brain._

 _It squeals shrilly, an unholy noise which makes me want to cover my ears, and reels back, clutching at its face and throat as acid spills across the floor. I roll away, barely avoiding the hissing green substance and clamber clumsily to my feet. I pant for a few seconds, unable to move for the moment. Then something latches onto my leg. I scream, and try to lurch out of its grasp, but the dying Xeno is gripping me so hard its claws are digging into my flesh, shearing away skin right down to the bone with its claws. I empty the last of my pistol into its head, causing acid to spray up onto my thigh, sizzling my flesh away in a red haze of agony. All I can manage is a pathetic whimper as I limp away from the smouldering corpse. Oh god, my leg. My leg. I feel the hot tears of pain rolling down my face, but I have to keep going._

 _I steel myself against the stench of blood, and the red sprays coating the walls, instead focusing on grabbing a shotgun from my fellow soldier's corpse, snatching up his team's dog tags as I go. Regroup. Evac. That's all that matters now. The bodies become more frequent, some Xeno, but mostly human. I make sure to steer clear of all the black bodies, no matter how mutilated they are, for fear of losing my one good leg. Then the mesh floor groans below me. I glance down, spying the maintenance passage below. It was clear – no Xenos. So what the hell was that noise? The floor creaks again, and I peer at it, noticing some warped metal where acid had corroded the mesh. My eyes go wide – too late. The floor clangs loudly, snapping under my weight and dumping me into the cold, narrow, concrete passageways below._

 _Well shit, I think as I pick myself up off bruised knees. Today is just not my day. At least I still have my shotgun. This place has gone to shit though; a knee-deep layer of water coats the floor, moss and mould creeping their way up the sides. It doesn't smell that great either, but I can't climb back out, so I'll have to find a maintenance exit. The water stings my wounded leg, setting my nerves ablaze and probably infecting the wound with the gunky stuff, but I push forward. Regroup, evac. I weave my way past pipes and valves, gauges and monitoring stations, until finally I find my way to a ladder leading up. I grip the rung with shaking, cold and pale hands. I've lost blood. I'm injured. I'm in unhygienic conditions. If I live through this, I swear it'll be the work of an angel. One rung at a time, one hand over the other, gritting my teeth and screwing my eyes shut every time I drag my brutalised foot up another step._

 _Halfway there. I want to stop, I want to catch my breath, but I'm shaking now, so much that I'm afraid I'll shake right off the ladder. My body has its limits, and I've already pushed them so far. Finally, I haul myself over the lip, onto the floor of the room above. As I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling and heaving troubled breaths, I recognise the machinery around me as the sewage treatment plant. The floor here is also damp, covered in a sheen of filthy water which has spilled from the dysfunctional machinery. But that also means… it also means… the big, thick pipes which disappear into the far wall, lead to the outside world._

 _Once again, I find myself drawing from strength I don't have to roll onto my front. Dimly, I can see a hulking, silhouetted form approaching, deadly and silent. I've some so far… I can't give up. I reach for my shotgun, fingers brushing against the barrel, but the weapon is swept gently out of reach by a long, blade-tipped tail. Dazedly, I stare up at the Xenomorph, who glances around shiftily, then peels something off its back and places it in front of me. A child – a small, human child. Can't be any older than three. The Xeno then takes three steps back and stares at us worriedly for a moment. I stare back. It watches me as I grunt and groan, placing myself on my knees and pulling both the child and the shotgun to my sides. The Xeno cocks its head, then turns to leave, and I find my finger wrapped around the trigger of my gun. This close, even with my wavering aim, I could easily land a buckshot in its back._

 _But I don't. I sigh, lower the weapon, and use a pipe set into the wall to help me to my feet. I smash the lever next to the thick pipes, making a counterweight drop and manually open the heavy shutters, allowing a torrent of waste to spill into a muck-filled pool in the world beyond, as well as opening a small door off to the left. I take the child's hand in mine, and we shuffle our way outside, where I collapse against a low wall and light a flare. An evac dropship arrives minutes later, but by that time, I've already lost consciousness._

"We got the child scanned afterwards," Jeica explained, "and she came back clean. It always bugged me from then on. If the child wasn't impregnated, then what point was there in giving her back?"

" _Because children do not deserve such a fate,_ " Mozart replied softly, still a little shaken by the memory which had been shared with him. Even though he didn't know Jeica back then, they were Bonded now, and the thought of his Host being that close to death… he suppressed a violent shudder and continued talking. " _Adult Xenomorphs and adult humans have chosen their paths already, and whatever comes of them is the result. Children, however, never get to choose. Just because a child's parents like tormenting and experimenting on Xenomorphs, doesn't mean they do too. They are young, and their future has infinite possibilities. They are the only true innocents in the world, and therefore we must not treat them as if they are guilty, even if they do go on to do cruel things in life. We have no way of knowing that when they are so young._ "

"So, you guys don't kill children? That's… very humane of you."

" _Well, most of us don't. Some Hives have… different views on the matter. If given a choice between life and death, they choose life, no matter the cost. As such, if killing a child helps them survive, then so be it. I would ask Advena about that if I were you – Sal tells me she has some experience in the matter._ "

"Oh yeah? And how would Sal of all people know that?"

" _Because Sal is… frightening, really. He did things to his Bond with Tyler that no sane Xenomorph would do, and it is having repercussions. Advena has been telling me about what he can do – he can take memories unpermitted, read into Bonds for their strengths and weaknesses, as well as steal innermost feelings and desires from unwary individuals._ "

"Wait wait wait, if Sal can do all that stuff, then what about Tyler? Can he do it too?"

" _Nobody's seen him do anything extraordinary, and I have a theory as to why. Sal and Tyler are, in Advena's words 'yin and yang' – opposites of one another. All of Sal's abilities are based around taking – taking information, feelings, thoughts. So, if Tyler is the opposite, his abilities will be based around…_ "

"Giving," Jeica finished for him. "Huh, well that's a relief. You're saying that the big, protective alien who wants to help people has all the power to do nasty stuff, while public enemy number one gets all the lovey-dovey sharing is caring stuff? Oh man I love irony." Mozart flashed a grin at her.

" _Yep. I mean, he can probably force his memories upon people too, but I'm sure even_ that _won't be too much of a problem, despite all of the… traumatic experiences he has in his repertoire._ "

"Suddenly, things don't look so bad," Jeica chuckled, "I mean, it could certainly be worse. We have a plan to beat Weyland, a place to stay once it's all over and one of humanity's greatest enemies turned out to be nice guys after all. I don't meant to jinx it, but hey, we're doing good."

" _Still, it's no reason to let your guard down. Tyler may not be telepathically endowed, but he is still capable of sabotage. Not to mention we could be carrying spies on board. And what if Tyler somehow ropes Sal into his schemes? Then we will have a super-psychic-mega-threat to worry about._ "

"Mo', next time a girl's telling you about how great life is, don't bring them down. I'd much rather die happy."

" _Noted. And I'd much rather die on a full stomach, so you wanna get some lunch?_ " Jeica rolled her eyes and rubbed his domed head affectionately, before sliding off their bed and making her way to their room's door. Mozart took that as a yes, and quickly hopped out of their nest to follow her.

When they arrived in the mess hall, they grabbed their trays and quickly located Jake, who was conversing animatedly with two marines at a table, empty plates before them. The duo arrived and took their seats in the unoccupied spaces of the table.

"Ah well, we'll catch ya later then, Cap," Lance Corporal Sitherland announced, before he and Corporal Piotra politely left the table to the others.

"Hey Jake," Jeica greeted him, "where's 'Vena?"

"On the bridge. I found some other gamers on board, and thought I'd let Advena put her skills to the test against them," he responded.

"You think any of them actually have a chance?"

"I hope not. I don't know if you've noticed, but she gets kinda competitive sometimes, especially when video games come into play. You should see her in some online matches – she'll be cursing like a sailor. Scares the crap out of me sometimes." Jeica snorted at him and dug into her food, leaving him to pull out his PDA and scroll through some information.

" _Yes, Advena isn't the most level-headed of Xenomorphs, though I suppose that is why she chose you,_ " Mozart speculated, whilst chewing his food thoroughly. Talking with your mouth full was pretty commonplace with Xenos, seeing as they didn't need their mouths to talk. In contrast, most telepaths, even when talking telepathically, finished their mouthful before speaking, simply out of habit. It was amusing when Xenomorphs got confused to no end by this. " _You generally keep a handle on her, right?_ "

"I'm sure I'll learn how eventually. For now, if she gets upset, I get dragged into it too. It can get hard sometimes, separating her emotions from my own."

" _Indeed. Sometimes, as harsh as it may seem, you need to be able to block out your Bonded – even sever the link completely in dire circumstances. It's a valuable skill, and one I'm sure Advena hasn't even brought up yet, let alone tried to teach you, am I right?_ "

"Yeah…" Jake confirmed uneasily. "She's not, y'know… pulling a Sal on me, is she?"

" _No no no! Of course not!_ " Mozart practically screeched. " _And definitely do NOT tell her that I gave you that impression. No, she merely thinks too highly of both you and herself, and can't accept that her own flaws could be problematic in future. You should definitely bring that up with her at some point; remind her that a Bond is all about building on each other's weaknesses with your partner's strengths. Just… do me a favour and don't tell her we had this conversation. Advena's great and all, but when she gets mad… yeesh, I do not want to get caught up in that._ "

"You don't think that you're being the slightest bit overdramatic?" Mozart shook his head slowly, eying Jake carefully. "Not even a little?"

" _Jacob, she almost ripped Sal to pieces for a simple accident on Tyler's part._ "

"Okay, yeah, she's a bit rash, but she's not a bad person or anything…"

" _Nobody's saying that she is. All I'm trying to get at is, she needs you, to keep her under control. She's very hot-headed, and needs you to keep her cool and calm, alright?_ "

"Okay, okay," Jake conceded. "I'll talk to her. Can we talk about something else now?"

"Hey, heard some interesting gossip the other day," Jeica remembered. "Apparently, someone's been teaching the un-Bonded Xenomorphs about non-committal sex." She caught Mozart's confusion before he could even ask, and so added: "It means casual sex, Mo'. Sex not between two lovers, but just a couple of people wanting a bit of fun."

" _But why? Sex is supposed to be an emotional activity which brings joy to two mates?_ " he asked, clearly mulling over the idea intently.

"Yeah, it also feels good too, you know. For those who can't or don't want to find permanent mates, but still want to have that kind of fun, we have casual sex. You find someone else who's not looking for a long-term relationship, hook up, and make each other feel good for a night. Jesus, am I seriously giving an alien 'the talk'?"

"We've gone wildly off-topic," Jake interrupted. "What was this about someone having sex with Xenomorphs?"

"Well, I talked to a guy, who heard from another guy, that someone had spoken to someone who was sleeping around with aliens – apparently they were boasting about how they took two aliens at the same time. Inspirational stuff."

" _T-two lovers at once?_ " Mozart echoed worriedly. " _I don't –_ "

"They had a threesome, Mozart," Jake sighed. "It happens fairly often. Is this seriously foreign to you?"

" _Well, I suppose if a human was feeling down, and wished to feel loved, un-Bonded Xenomorphs would be jumping at the opportunity to provide the emotional support they can't give without a Host of their own. But for fun? I don't think any Xeno in their right mind would do that…_ "

"Are you seriously telling me right now, that someone, on this ship, is running around _guilt-tripping_ Xenos into having threesomes with them?" Jake groaned. "What the fuck has my life come to, where _this_ is what I'm dealing with on a day-to-day basis?"

"It _could_ be a miscommunication. I mean, any human would assume Xenos view sex the same way as us, so they might not even know they're manipulating the Xenos with their own culture," Jeica put in. "Regardless, it might be beneficial if we find this person and have a talk with them."

" _It will probably be easier for me to track down the Xenomorphs than it will be for you to find out this human's identity. I will ask around, and find the human that way._ "

"Thanks Mo'," Jeica swooned. Mozart blushed lightly and accepted the loving fingers which stroked his cheek and jaw affectionately.

"Hey, Parker," Jake greeted with a wave as the rebel in question, along with a man the trio didn't know, approached with the intent to take a seat. "We were just talking about some guy slutting around with Xenos, care to join us?"

"Jake, you're killing me with all this alien-fucking business," Parker groaned, flopping down opposite him. His companion stood awkwardly to the side for a moment, before taking a seat next to the rebel leader.

"Who's your friend?" Jeica asked curiously, before stabbing her fork back into her food.

"Ah, right, I'm Rudy, Parker's translator," the man introduced himself, leaning forward to offer his hand. Jeica raised an eyebrow, both hands already occupied with her utensils, so Mozart quickly stepped in and offered his own midnight black, four-fingered hand in her place. They shook, albeit rather awkwardly, before slumping back onto their respective seats.

"Parker, you know there's actually not that much difference between British English and American, right?" Jake jibed childishly. The rebel rolled his eyes and folded his arms grumpily.

"I'm a telepath," Rudy elaborated. "Parker isn't Bonded… stop me when this starts to sound familiar?" Jake took a moment to mull over that, before slapping his head suddenly.

"Oh! Right! Man, I'm so used to being able to hear other telepaths, I just kinda forgot some people can't." Jeica snickered at that, and Mozart quickly grinned like an idiot, not wanting to be left out.

"Yeah, I usually sit it out in the next room, within telepathic distance, and translate through an earpiece so I don't interrupt the flow of the conversation, but, as I'm sure you're aware, the mess hall is a fair bit… nosier, both physically and telepathically. It's way too hard trying to single out conversations from a room away," Rudy explained.

"So, was there a particular reason you came here, Parker?" Jake inquired.

"Uh, yeah, actually," he responded, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… Advena got challenged to a game that she doesn't know how to play properly, and she's getting a little, er, 'frustrated'." Jake sighed and slowly pushed himself up from his seat.

"Al- _right_ , I'm going. Be back in a bit guys."

"Nah, I wanna see how this one plays out," Jeica jeered cheekily, before quickly hopping up to follow him. With Mozart at their side, they quickly made their way to the bridge to assess how bad the situation was.

" _Not until you admit you cheated!_ " Advena growled as they entered the room.

"Aw, come on… there's no shame in losing 'Vee."

" _I didn't lose. You cheated._ " It took Jake a couple of seconds to figure out where the disembodied voice was coming from. After darting his eyes around the room, he finally directed his gaze upwards, and groaned inwardly. Behind him, Jeica stifled a giggle, and Mozart cleared his throat noisily to cover up his alien snicker.

"'Vee…" a man whined from his position on the ceiling. He was plastered there by a small patch of Xeno resin, which had the waistband of his underwear glued solidly to the metal roof. "I'm getting a killer wedgie over here. _Please_ let me down?"

" _Nuh-uh. Cheaters get what cheaters deserve._ "

"How… just… how?" Jake muttered.

"Hey Jake! You mind giving me a hand?"

"'Vena…"

" _Jacob._ "

"Why is this man dangling from the ceiling by his underwear?"

" _He cheated._ "

"I won fair and square! _She's_ the one who skipped the tutorial all gung-ho like."

"Oh boy…" Jake mumbled to himself, slowly sliding his hand down his face in exasperation. Then, louder, even though Advena had probably heard his last remark with her kind's uncanny hearing, "What would it take to convince you to get him down?" He really didn't want to find out how many people it would take to get him down from there. It would take one to hold the ladder steady, another to climb it and use the blowtorch, and at least one more to catch the poor victim…

" _An apology, for cheating, and a rematch._ "

"You'll lose again…" the man warned her.

" _Alright, I've revised my offer._ And _a box of chocolates, too._ "

"'Vena, come on…" Jake pleaded, but the Xeno was unmoved. He harrumphed and chewed his lip in thought, before suddenly grinning when he got an idea. He sidled over to Advena, placed an arm around her shoulder, hovered his face so close to hers she could feel his warm breath rolling over her dome, and spoke something telepathically. The other occupants of the room watched the silent exchange, unable to hear what was being said because of Jake's mastery of private telepathy, but the shifting expressions on Advena's face were clear as day. She blushed a slight shade of neon-green, before nodding floatily.

" _Welllll… when you put it that way!_ " Jake shook his head at her as she scampered up the wall, then across the roof upside-down. She then gently shaved the rock-hard resin away from the ceiling with her tail, allowing the man to drop into her arms and be lowered to the floor gently. " _Now, let's get back to our room, on the double!_ " she demanded, dropping straight onto the floor and flying out the door. Jake rolled his eyes and strolled leisurely out the door after her, leaving the others to glance at one another in bemusement.

"Welp," Jeica said, clapping her hands together idly. "We're arriving tomorrow, so we'd better start packing our equipment if we want to get planetside in good time – and I don't think we can rely on those two for help, either." Mozart nodded in agreement, and the duo made their way over to the communications panel to make a ship-wide PA.


	17. Chapter 17: Home on the Run

"This girl is fast!" Parker exclaimed as he leaned on the observatory wall, gazing upon the planet which was soon to be their home. The pilots would begin landing procedures in about ten minutes, but until then they were preparing to be planet-side. They didn't have a lot of time to prepare for the Corporation's arrival, so they had to be ready to move out as soon as possible. Luckily, Jake had already discussed plans throughout their journey, and Parker had agreed upon one of them.

Move everything to the smuggling bunkers, where they would be safer in the event of a bombing run. Stock up on weapons, fortify the tunnels and sit it out. Up against infantry, they had a chance, but if Weyland had anything up their sleeve, it could cause them a messy end. It was all they had though, so it was what they were sticking to. Chances are, Weyland would want to recover assets rather than destroy them, so Jake figured they could use that to their advantage, even if it was a bit of a gamble.

"I'll be back in a few," Jake informed the rebel, before trotting down the stairs and approaching the bridge guards. "Nothing unusual?" he asked. Really, he just wanted to know if Tyler had made any fruitless escape attempts yet, but the guards merely shrugged.

"I mean, a Xeno wandered in there without its Host, which was kinda strange, but not against the rules to my knowledge." Jake bit his lip and repressed a groan.

"This Xenomorph… scarred head, right?"

"Yeah…"

"A Runner; no spines?" The guard nodded.

"Shit. Either of you know how to use a weapons console on this thing?" The guard nodded again, and Jake quickly rushed him inside, dropping himself into the scanners chair. Sure enough, one shuttle had been launched a few minutes ago, undoubtedly Tyler's.

"I swear he never set foot in this room," the guard protested.

"That Xenomorph? That was Sal, who Tyler happens to be able to take control of, apparently. I thought they were supposed to be immune to each other by now or something…" Jake muttered the last part to himself more than anyone. "Immobilise him." The guard nodded again and seized the weapons controls, taking careful aim before firing a stun round. Jake watched the scanners, the shuttle's image flickering briefly before displaying a yellow lightning bolt on a red circle backdrop beside it. The ship then veered into the planet, the gravity taking ahold of the no-longer-resisting vessel.

"He is gonna be _so_ pissed when he lands," the guard commented.

"So am I," Jake growled. "For a second there, I thought we were over this. The pilots should be in here any minute; I'm gonna go help out in the hold." The guard nodded, and decided he would come along too, seeing as how with Tyler planet-side, there was no reason for him to guard the bridge anymore. They set about packing equipment into crates and loading everything up into large, canvas-backed trucks until the ship hit atmosphere, at which point it was too dangerous to continue working with the ship shaking so much.

The ship set down two kilometres north of the planet's primary settlement – which would give them hell should they ever wish to re-launch the ship, but they were short on time and had no other choice – and immediately the cargo bay doors opened, allowing fleets of vehicles to fly out and busily deliver their cargo to various destinations throughout the miniature rebel city.

Jake took a moment to stand on the crest of a small hill to gaze upon the houses which had been seemingly carelessly strewn across the landscape. Towards the centre of the city were the taller buildings, made from steel beams, glass, metal, wires and hydraulics. Modern, generic colony gear. However, as the city spread outwards, the material-efficient structures gave way to more comfortable housing, eventually ending in lavish log cabins and aesthetic thatch-roofed buildings with modern twists to them. These people were incredibly well-off in terms of resources, it seemed.

"Don't let the old hay roofs deceive you," Parker advised him, appearing at his back. "Everything's fully insulated and hooked into the mains. We just like to show off. A pity too, seeing as a lot of this won't be around in a few days."

"I'm sorry," Jake apologised, and he meant it. He never wanted to cause people such as these colonists problems, or death.

"Don't be. These guys have been itching to kick some Weyland ass, but we told them to lay low because they weren't officially recognised as rebels yet; makes this a nice hiding spot, you know? Now there's no way we can't let them in on the action."

"How many people are we talking here?" Jake couldn't help but ask.

"Four thousand citizens, mostly civilians. I'd mark about a thousand of them battle-worthy, at least five-hundred trained. Add that to your marines and Xenos, and you have yourself quite the formidable fighting force."

"Shit," Jake breathed. Awestruck, he simply ran a hand through his hair as he soaked that in. "We might actually have a chance here."

"Also, Tyler's shuttle was in the same orbit as us. He can't have landed far from here, so you might want to send some people out to catch him before he runs off."

"Are you kidding me?" Jake scoffed. "Tyler's an intelligent guy, and he's just crash-landed on an unknown planet in a mobile fortress, no doubt well-stocked with food and supplies he stole from our ship. He's not going anywhere." Parker laughed heartily.

"Very true. See, tactical predictions such as that are signs of a good solider, Jacob. You truly are deserving of the 'Elite' title – we could use more cunning men like you for our cause."

"You're only staring at half of me, buddy," Jake chuckled. "And here comes the other half now." Just as he promised, Advena sauntered over to the two humans, glancing around elatedly, a spring in her step as she bounced upon flowers and rolled on lush, long, wavy blades of green grass.

" _This is wonderful!_ " she cried as she wriggled through the sea of green, finishing belly-up in front of her Host. " _When can I see the ocean? Ooh-ooh! Wait! Forest first! Forest first!_ " Jake bit his lip guiltily as he gazed upon her joyous grin. He didn't want to ruin her mood, but her face fell seconds later. " _Oh, right. Bad guys,_ " she remembered.

"I'm real sorry 'Vena. I promise once all of this is over, we'll go on some big safari or something." Advena nodded, but Jake could tell it wasn't the same to her. It's like unwrapping a present when you already know what it is weeks in advance – still good, but just lacking that feeling of wonder and excitement.

"Hah! Well, if you two want to live long enough to go prancing in daisy fields, we need to start getting set up," Parker hollered merrily. "Come, come! Let's help the others shift the gear."

~~~~~~~~~~(The Next Day)~~~~~~~~~~

 _Crack!_ Jake swore and jumped back instinctively, despite the fact the bullet had impacted the dirt ten metres away from his feet.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he yelled at the solid metal oblong which sat sternly in the midst of the fields of long grass just outside the colony.

"Go away!" Tyler shouted back, his voice emanating from within the blocky ship. The young scientist had been incredibly efficient; he already had a radio tower and a wind turbine set up around his ship, effectively completing its transformation into a self-sufficient base.

"You maniac! You could've shot me!"

"So don't make me regret choosing not to!"

"What the hell is your problem? I thought we were over this!"

"That was before you shot down my shuttle, asshole! You could've killed me! Again!"

"I _will_ kill you in a minute, if you don't get your ass out here right now!" Jake cussed again when another bullet thunked into the ground, closer this time.

"The next one won't be a warning shot!" Tyler warned him.

"Fuck!" Jake threw his arms into the air in defeat, before storming off back to the colony. Advena raised her head and tracked his movements from her vantage point in the shade of a bushy tree. She stretched lazily, before making small bounds to catch up to her furious lover.

" _I take it things didn't go too well,_ " she guessed. Jake released a long, whoosh of breath and shook his head peevishly.

"He shot at me." Advena barely even tried to conceal an amused snicker. She received a glowering scowl for her troubles, and merely shrugged.

" _What? It's_ kinda _funny._ " Jake clearly didn't think so, thus she decided to be quiet about amusing herself with the image of Jake stumbling around clumsily while Tyler struggled to hold a rifle with his injured arm, yelling at each other boyishly.

Of course, if Tyler had hit Jake, it would have been a different story entirely. " _It does worry me though,_ " she continued suddenly.

"What? Tyler shooting at me?"

" _No. Well, er,_ 'yes' _…_ " Jake rolled his eyes at her lazy attempt to sound sincere. " _But more so the fact that Tyler hasn't shown any indication of Shallow-Bond abilities. Either he's using some, and nobody knows – including him – or it's a major ability that's taking a while to manifest, which would mean bad things for us._ "

"So what do we do about that?"

" _The same thing we've been trying to do,_ " Advena sighed. " _Try to get Sal and him together and hope for the best. If they Bond quick enough, that'll stunt the growth of Tyler's ability and render him just as normal as me and you. As an added bonus, it'll mean Sal will only have his little abilities, instead of developing new ones in the meantime._ "

"I know Sal means well and all, but he's proven to be prone to rash actions for what he believes is the greater good. What if he puts the Bond off on purpose in order to give himself and Tyler these abilities?"

" _Admittedly, it would work, seeing as Tyler still harbours some resentment for him, and Sal feels like a guilty failure. Although, I'm sure Sal would start feeling better about himself with a plan like that in mind, meaning it might not be very effective. Though I personally believe that Sal would be more concerned about fixing his relationship and making Tyler feel loved again then he would with giving them both cheap parlour tricks.._ "

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Sergeant Harlor, come in Sergeant Harlor!" a voice cried over the radio suddenly. Jake paused to unclip the device from his chestplate and flick on the transmitter.

"Go ahead."

"Urgent message from Lieutenant Parker; sensors have picked up a Weyland ship about a day's flight from us. He wants you in bunker bravo-three immediately."

"We're on our way." He turned to Advena as he slipped the device back into its holster, eyebrows raised in an expression of nervousness. "This is it 'Vena. We've got one day before the battle which will decide our future."

" _Then we have much work to do._ "

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Get those sidearms out! Faster! Back in! Again! You think the enemy is going to wait for you to fumble around with your holster? Back in! And into battle stance! Every second you waste is another second the enemy gets the advantage! Back in!" Jeica yelled into her radio as she paced up and down the front of an enormous crowd. Her voice was carried throughout a massive asphalt area which served as a landing zone for cargo shuttles, equipped with a hexagonal-shaped control tower which stretched into the sky above them.

"What are they doing?" Parker demanded. Jake glanced up at the man, who was standing next to where he was lounging in the shade of a tree. Their little quiet spot stood on the crest of a small hill a fair distance away from the miniature spaceport, overlooking the enormous crowds of people.

"Lieutenant Smith is drilling them with the basics; it's going to be medium ranges at most out there – but most of the battle will be CQC. She's running them through hand-to-hand and everything up-close-'n'-personal. At least, as much as she can in the time we have," Jake replied.

"And that Xenomorph?" Parker pointed, but Jake already knew who he was referring to. Separate from the crowd of humans being drilled by Jeica, resided the small army of Xenomorphs, all watching intently as a lone figure at the front demonstrated how to use human weaponry, unable to use memory-sharing on such a scale without a Queen. Jake knew this was in fact Sal, who surprised everyone by revealing he could take Jeica's combat training from her as he would a memory and teach the Xenos. Another perk bestowed upon him by his dysfunctional Bond, Advena had supposed. An intriguing one too, seeing as it was concept he was stealing, rather than a direct memory, or even a memory of being taught the concept.

It was quite interesting to watch the aliens on the asphalt, actually. Seeing them all together in a wide-open space really emphasised their individuality, even from this distance. Some Xenomorphs like Sal preferred to walk on two feet unless they were trying to get somewhere in a hurry, and thus had no trouble picking up a rifle, while others clearly spent most, if not all, of their time on four legs, so they had to struggle to balance themselves on two limbs before even thinking about picking up a gun.

Then there were the physical differences in shape and size. Jake had never been able to compare Sal's size to Advena or Mozart, because both of the latter Xenos preferred to trot around on all fours. But with Tyler's Bonded standing before a field of his own kind, all on their hind legs, it was clear to see that Runners were definitely smaller as a sub-species, with Drones being the average size – a fair bit taller than average humans. The Warriors seemed to be broader and bulkier than Drones, rather than taller, then others such as Spitters were tall and lanky, and Defenders were tall and bulked out. And that's not even getting into each individual's personal traits, which were quite hard to see from up on the small, grassy hill.

"Alright, now clear some space! The enemy isn't just gonna sit there and watch you! Push them away! Clear some room and get those barrels up!" Jeica's distant voice boomed. Advena stirred lazily from her spot next to her lover, before stretching leisurely.

" _Okay, I'm all rested up. You ready for round two?_ " she inquired. It was then that Parker noticed Jake's sweat-matted hair, and his discarded jacket, leaving him only in a singlet and his leggings. His mouth went agape for a moment, but he quickly heaved a sigh of relief when Jake stepped into a battle-ready stance, fists held tightly before his face. Right, they were exercising, not the other thing. Parker watched as Advena began swinging light punches, which Jake would either block with his forearms, or dodge altogether, side-stepping and ducking. Occasionally, he would give a punch of his own back, pulling the blow before it could land on Advena's sides or chest, which were his most frequent targets.

Then they would melt into a switch-over; Advena would slowly stop throwing punches, instead blocking or dodging everything Jake threw at her, until she too began returning strikes, handing the defensive stance back over to Jake, who would then repeat the cycle. It was amazing – so fluid and synchronous – to watch, for a few minutes. Parker quickly grew bored after the initial awe wore off, and decided to wander back down the hill to check up on the already battle-worthy troops, who had opted out of Jeica's improvised courses in order to do more advanced training of their own.

Parker was surprised, when he wandered down to the firing range, to see a Xenomorph scurrying about, ferrying ammunition and weapons to soldiers and returning still more to the racks. Out of interest, he stopped the creature and asked what it was doing here, instead of going over to the spaceport to be taught to fight. The creature hissed something to him, and Parker's finger instinctively went to his ear, before he suddenly remembered Rudy was helping out the folks in the armoury who were repairing disused guns.

"Uh…" Parker uttered dumbly, glancing around himself briefly. "Sorry, don't have my translator around…" The Xeno huffed at him, as if scolding him for being stupid enough to ask a question when he wouldn't be able to hear the answer. Luckily for them both, a soldier took pity on them and wandered over with a beaming, amused smile.

"He said he doesn't like to fight, but he'll be around to assist his Host." The soldier paused for a second, listening. "You mean _Lieutenant_ Jeica? Huh, no kidding." Then it clicked. Parker was, of course, un-Bonded, and so had trouble telling one midnight black killing machine apart from another, thus it was only then that he figured out who he was looking at.

"Mozart?" he inquired, baffled. "You're a pacifist?" Mozart wavered his hand, which the soldier helpfully translated as 'meh'.

"Not quite. He'll fight if it comes to it, but if he can avoid it, he'd quite like to do that instead."

"Well, there's no way we can let you on the front lines without at least _some_ training – you'll get torn apart!" Parker protested. "Maybe you should wait in the bunkers, with the civilians." Mozart shook his head vigorously, before scampering off to resume his duties. Clearly, he considered the conversation over, allowing Parker nothing but a frustrated sigh.

"What is it that those guys have against me?" he grumbled to himself. He didn't have much time to mull it over, however, because an outcry quickly interrupted him. He glanced over to where the disturbance was coming from, spotting a group of newcomers who had their weapons trained on one of the colonists, who was sitting on the ground, having been shoved over. "Hey!" he yelled, jogging towards the anxious marines. "What's the problem here?"

"That fucking… _thing_. That's what's the problem," one of the aggressive marines growled. Parker studied the prone form, who was submissively staying where he was, apprehensive of being shot. A trickle of white fluid seeped lazily from a small cut on his hand.

"Stand down," Parker ordered, shoving the barrel of the nearest marine's weapon at the ground. By now, the confrontation had gained a bit of a crowd, all fearfully staring at the android, who remained calm and took the most logical course of action, as was his kind's nature. In this case, it was sitting still so his body wasn't filled with holes. Parker offered the android his hand, which was accepted gratefully – so much so that the android neglected to point out he would have had an easier time getting up on his own, and Parker was straining himself for no reason.

Sighing, the rebel leader could foresee a long and tedious future with the men and women Jake had brought to the Resistance; they were raised on hatred, knowing little in the way of compassion and acceptance, blindly following Weyland's every order even after they had rebelled against them. "You are in our home, and you will not hurt our people, first and foremost," Parker announced loudly. "And secondly, if you _ever_ want to even _think_ about calling yourself Resistance fighters, you have to get one thing clear in your head: if you continue with the Company's discriminative and oppressive ways, you are no better than them. While you are under our figurative roof, and figuratively under our banner, you will follow our rules. Nobody is an outcast here, and everyone has risked everything they have to join this fight for freedom. You may not like gays, or androids, or genetically-engineered individuals, but you have to man up and get the hell over it, because those opinions of yours were fabricated by the very people you swore to strike down when you signed up for this fight. You are all ex-Weyland employees, so what right do you have to judge other people for what they are? Especially when these people had no choice in the way they were born. You are different, because you have chosen compassion, justice and righteousness. These people, synthetic, sexually deviant or otherwise, have chosen this road also, and are therefore as different from their peers as you are from yours. Now, in the spirit of cooperation, let's get back to training; we've got an invasion to fight off."

~~~~~~~~~~(The Moment of Truth)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake was glad for the urgent two days' head start which allowed them to set up defences. He currently sat in the spaceport control tower which overlooked the large asphalt area which effectively worked as a shuttle's version of a car park. Within sat several laptops and small briefcase computers displaying live-feed diagnostics and radar scans, hooked into the seven surface-to-air defence guns scattered around the city. They were remote-controlled by the tower, via seven expert gunners seated around the small room. They didn't have any ships on par with the Merciful Indictor, so they had to rely solely on the surface units.

Waiting in bunkers, near the entrances, over a thousand soldiers – trained and improvised alike – and Xenomorphs stood poised to charge outside as soon as the USCM infantry landed, vying to protect the civilians residing deeper within. Their whole plan revolved around taking Weyland completely by surprise with a brutish charge. The scans only picked up one ship, which was a reckless move on the Corporation's part, but all the better for the Resistance fighters who were nervously fidgeting below the planet's surface.

"The ship's waiting just outside our firing range," one of the gunners reported. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Come on," Jake growled quietly to himself, stooped over a radar, "just a little closer you bastards…"

"They could be scanning for us," Jeica suggested.

"Well, we're not in range of their advanced scanners, so that'll buy us some time," Jake told her.

"Uh… what if someone were to, uhhh… fire a flaregun?" a gunner asked hesitantly.

"That would be stupid; those things are fitted with microchips, which the ship would pick up immediately," Jake scoffed, then froze. "Why?" The gunner, instead of responding, pointed out the window. Three red flares were slowly sailing through the air, thunking into the ground at the base of three of the SAM guns. "Shit!" Jake yelped. "Red means enemy – get down!"

The occupants of the control tower threw themselves to the floor as the SAM gun closest to them exploded, shattering the windows of the hexagonal tower. Six more precise rockets struck the remaining guns, shaking the ground with every blow.

"What the hell was that?" one of the bunker squads demanded over the radio. "Did we just get hit with a carpet bomb? I thought you guys were going to shoot their bombers down!" Jake poked his head up and stared out a shattered window, only to catch sight of a brilliant, arcing trail of yellow sailing through the air. Another flare – but yellow flares were used to mark LZs. Jake followed the trail back to its sender, swearing foully when he spotted Tyler, marching through every clear area in the city and firing off pellets of yellow.

"Fuck! Tyler's selling us out!" Jake yelled, grabbing a rifle and sliding down the tower's ladder. The others quickly followed suit, seeing as the tower was virtually useless now. The air was already filling with the low hum of shuttles and dropships swooping down to the planet's surface. One of the gunners slid to a knee and began unloading his light machine gun at the nearest ship, managing to ignite one of its engines and send it spinning into a building. But there were too many. USCM marines were storming out by the dozen, sweeping the streets with deadly efficiency. "All units, get out! Repeat, initiate attack – get out of those bunkers now!"

But Tyler knew their plan well. The soldiers were already setting up firing squads, guns trained on bunker doors. Rebels were gunned down quicker than they could pour out of the bottleneck entryways. "You bastard!" Jake cried, charging at Tyler, but a stinging sensation in his calf had him tripping to the ground twenty metres away from his target. His friends all huddled at his side, training their weapons on the vast numbers of USCM marines which were surrounding them. Too many, there were too many. Advena hissed at the nearest soldier, thrusting her weapon in their direction, before promptly getting gunned down by eighteen of them. "No!" Jake screamed, ignoring his numb leg and crawling to his Companion's side.

"Drop your weapons!" a marine commanded. Jake sobbed in relief and collapsed atop his Xenomorph, unable to hold back the tears as his body was lifted by the steady rise and fall of Advena's deep, even breaths. Stun rounds. They were stun rounds.

"See Jake?" Tyler said, coming as close to the group of his friends as he dared. "We're not monsters here; this way, neither side has to take casualties. There are innocent lives here, Jacob, and you were going to throw them all away. Don't you see that nobody has to die?"

"Tyler… why? Why?" Jake demanded. "We're all willing to die in the name of freedom here! This is how we want it! Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?" Tyler just shook his head and turned away. The last thing Jake saw before his world turned black, was the young man's back disappearing into the crowd of enemy soldiers.


	18. Chapter 18: King of Regret

**USS Black Hand  
1201 Hours  
Mission Time: -:-  
Cell Block E, the Brig**

Jake sighed and leaned against the cold, steel bars which lined the front of his cell, staring at the ceiling as thoughts raced through his head. Prisoners were being thrown in at random intervals, which meant two things. One, they were still in low orbit around the planet, and two, they were going to stick around a while longer to make certain every single rebel had been apprehended. So far, not even the colonists had been killed, so Weyland was recovering assets _and_ future test subjects, likely to make up for whatever profits they had lost in this investment. That also meant, for better or worse, he was staying alive at least until they reached a research base, where he could be dissected or something.

But all of that meant they had time. There was time, to make some last-ditch escape attempt. But the Corporation was nothing if not thorough; the asset containment units which the Xenos were held in were resistant to acidic damage, not to mention the guards patrolling the area were keeping a close eye on things. A couple of them looked sympathetic for those crying out for their loved ones, which was something they could possibly use to their advantage. If he could get a word in alone with one of the corruptible guards, he would, theoretically, be able to snowball it from there and get everyone free.

His panicked thoughts were interrupted when he felt a stirring in the back of his mind. Advena was waking up. The stun pellets had been far more effective at knocking the Xeno out than the blow to the back of the head had been at putting Jake under, which meant he had spent the past hour fretting alone, unable to draw his Bonded out of her artificially-induced slumber.

" _Jacob…?_ " she mumbled tiredly, but with an edge of worry. Her thoughts were slurred as she attempted to kick herself into high gear all too quickly, despite the fact she was locked up even more securely than her entirely-helpless Host was. Neither of them were going anywhere right now, and Jake let that be known by sending soothing feelings to his partner, feeling her relax even as separated as they were. Jake could feel her flicking into his eye sight, trying to see what they had to work with, not struggling to burst into action, but not resting for a second either. Jake let his eyes roam his cell in order to give her a good look at the barebones, steel-frame bed, and exposed toilet and sink which were all bolted to the floor. An itchy, thin blanket was attached to the bed frame at one end through several loops of fabric that a Xeno would have no trouble ripping through, but a human would be hard pressed to pull a string of lint off. His cell was empty other than himself, but he knew for a fact that most of the other cells had groups of four or five, to conserve space. It was likely because he was considered the 'leader' of the rebellion on Reveles station, and was thus being isolated. Either way, he couldn't rely on anyone else's help for any plans he came up with.

" _We'll figure something out,_ " Jake promised his companion, though he wasn't so convinced himself. " _We have to._ "

~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~

"Coming alone was a risky move," Tyler commented idly as he stared into the hazy blue expanse of the planet's stratosphere. The bridge was quiet, with only himself, Director Lenex and a lone pilot occupying the spacious area. Not that the pilot was doing anything important – he had his feet up on a console, flicking through a magazine as he awaited the all-clear from the CO of the ground team operation. Most of the civilians had escaped in the chaos, and the Corporation was attempting to round them up. Meanwhile, all the rebels they'd apprehended thus far were safely stowed away in the heavily-guarded brig.

"Well, Tyler, you're a smart man," Lenex replied, "so I'm sure you'll see the sense in keeping this whole incident as quiet as possible."

"You didn't tell anyone about the uprising, did you?" Tyler inquired with a knowing smirk.

"You caught me," Lenex admitted with a chuckle. "As far as our investors know, the Advena Project is still in full swing. Of course, once we get back to the station, we're going to have to explain a few things. We do need a new base of operations, after all. For the moment, we've got the entire staff on-board, ready to be deployed to a temporary establishment." The room slipped into an uneasy silence after this. Tyler was chewing his lip uncomfortably, troubled by his own mind. He'd thought he would have felt more accomplished – he'd finally gotten what he'd wanted, after all. He stopped his friends from fighting. They all would have died – they were outnumbered and outgunned, not even the Xenos could have changed that. He knew for a fact the Corporation had lab-tested weapons specifically designed to use against them. He'd saved them all. He saved their lives. So why did he feel like the bad guy? Finally, he felt the need to speak.

"Do you know why I've done this?" he asked suddenly. "All of this. Working with the Corporation, betraying the people who trusted me, everything."

"No, I don't," Lenex confessed.

"Oh come on, be honest with me. Why do you think I'm working with the people who I hate more than anything? Don't hesitate to use blunt words."

"You're afraid," Lenex guessed, "afraid of dying."

"Heh, partially right. No, I'm afraid of watching those close to me die, or suffer, or be unhappy. So you know what this is? This is me trying to push everyone away, become someone cold and unlovable so I never have to go through that pain again. I don't want to be close to anyone, because that way I _can't_ lose anyone close to me ever again. And it's taken me this long to figure out it didn't work."

Lenex narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and made eye contact with the pilot sitting behind Tyler, the dangerous conversation causing the lazy man to look up from his magazine. Slowly, the pilot placed his hand on his sidearm, waiting for any kind of signal. "The reason I left the rebels the first time was because I'd lost my family. Not the family who gave birth to me, I mean my true family. The ones who loved and supported me, who were always there for me and stuck by my side even when I did stupid things. I lost someone special and I was scared. I was scared I would lose more. So I ran away – I ran away so I'd never have to watch them die, so I could pretend they would live forever. But I can't just pretend anymore, Director."

"And why's that?" the older man implored, arching an eyebrow at the pilot, who slipped his gun out of its holster.

"Because I really didn't think this through, and I've quite possibly just made the biggest mistake of my life. I thought there'd be fleets of ships, and the entire galaxy hunting us down. I thought we wouldn't stand a chance, but maybe we do. Regardless, I can't pretend that my friends aren't down there, stuck in a tiny cell, split from those they love and in misery. I can't pretend that you're just gonna let them live and give them a second chance – not when there's a better way. Those are good people, and despite my best efforts, I care about them. I don't want to see them in the hands of someone like you, because I'm scared of what you'll do to them." Lenex had heard enough. He waved his hand at the pilot, who leapt over his seat and swung his weapon up in Tyler's direction. Startled, Tyler whirled to face the threat, went wide-eyed at the sight of the gun, and did the only thing he could think of in that situation.

"Stop!" Tyler yelled, screwing his eyes shut and shoving an outstretched palm in the direction of the soldier. Seconds ticked by.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lenex growled. Tyler allowed a single eye to flutter open, and simply stared at the pilot, who was frozen, unblinkingly staring at his target, but not offering so much as a twitch. The man's eyes darted from side to side however, and he was breathing raggedly. Tyler stared at his hand, which was still splayed out in the pilot's direction. The young scientist's heart was racing, confused and terrified. The pilot's eyes seemed to be pleading for help, but he said nothing.

"D-drop your weapon!" Tyler stammered as commandingly as he could. The pilot's hand snapped open, allowing the weapon to clatter onto the floor uselessly. Lenex gawked in disbelief, and Tyler shared in his uncertainty. "Er, I mean, pick it back up and give it to me." Stiffly, the pilot bent down, grabbed the gun by its barrel, then paced over to Tyler, before pressing the cool steel into his idle hand. Then, as if struck, the man stumbled backwards and fell onto his ass, scrambling away from the scientist in terror.

"W-what the hell!" he cried. "What the hell was that? What the hell is going on?"

"Shut up," Tyler snapped, and the man obeyed, but the expression of horror as his mouth clamped shut told of how much free will was involved with the gesture. Tyler stared at his unoccupied hand, fingers clenching slowly. It felt like a dream, and he was going to wake up moments later to the misery and helplessness of the real world. Suddenly, the sound of thudding footsteps brought Tyler back to reality, and he stuck his hand out at the back of the fleeing Director. "Get back here!" he ordered, but Lenex kept running, through the door and out of sight. Tyler swore and turned back to the pilot. "Sleep." The pilot shuddered and stared up at Tyler. " _Sleep_ ," Tyler snarled more forcefully. The man convulsed on the floor and covered his ears with his hands.

"Get out of my head! Get out of my head!" he shrieked. Tyler shook his head and ran to the ship's main console. He flipped open a small metal hatch in the base of the pilot's console, before tugging down the clunky lever which resided within. A red light flickered on behind it, signalling he could proceed.

Next, he ran to the back of the room, unscrewing four bolts in order to remove a glass panel from the front of two more, heavier levers, which took some effort to haul down. But he managed it, allowing a hatch in the centre of the room to pop out of the floor, which he hastily slid over to. On the inside of the hatch a detailed warning note awaited:

DANGER  
EMERGENCY DESTRUCTION SYSTEM  
ON ACTIVATION, SHIP WILL DETONATE IN T-MINUS **10** MINUTES  
FAILSAFE WARNING  
CUT-OFF SYSTEM WILL NOT OPERATE AFTER T-MINUS **5** MINUTES

And below was a string of code, which Tyler typed into the keypad set into the floor, which the hatch had previously covered. Once done, he went through the arduous process of taking pins from the hatch's sides, screwing them into four cylinders placed around the keypad, hauling them up, flicking a small wedge out of the cylinders, then pressing the red button which lay beneath. The cylinders rose even higher after this, their bases glowing with fluorescent light.

"Danger: the emergency destruct system is now activated," the on-board AI grated. "The ship will detonate in T-Minus, ten minutes." This was followed promptly by a buzzing alarm. Tyler unscrewed a pin from one of the cylinders, preventing it from being pushed back down again. In response to the emergency situation, the bridge lights made a metallic _clunk_ noise, accompanied by bathing the room in red. Simultaneously, several flashing red override prompts appeared on various screens throughout the area, several of which held the emergency security override procedures. Tyler seized control of one such console and activated the evacuation procedures, effectively clearing a route from the brig to the hangar, moments before unlocking all the brig's cell doors with the press of a button. He took a step towards the exit, but a microphone connected to the ship-wide comms caught his eye, and his guilty conscience told him he had one more job to do.

"Attention crew, this is Tyler Doelle speaking. The self-destruct has been activated, as you are no doubt aware. Director Lenex is long gone by now, so it's just us civilians and soldiers. You have two choices here; if you want to fight the Corporation for a chance to be free, join the rebels in the hangar. If you want to die a loyal Weyland rat, then run for the bridge to disarm the self-destruct. You have four minutes until the failsafe cut-off."

Then he suddenly remembered something, and smacked his head with a relieved, goofy smile. He ran to the front of the ship, tapped a command into the console, and a small disk drive popped out. He shot the black piece of machinery seven times with his newly-acquired pistol, causing it to spark and catch fire. No more black box; Weyland would never know what went down here. Then he was gone, out the door, running away with the key to the rebels' damnation. He made a beeline for the escape pods, knowing full well he had to get off this ship as soon as possible to keep the small pin out of the enemy's grasp.

"Danger: the emergency destruct system is now activated. The ship will detonate in T-Minus, seven minutes. The option to override automatic detonation expires in T-Minus, two minutes."

Tyler threw the pin into a random escape pod, before running to the main console and launching every single pod bar one.

From the readout, he could see one pod had already been launched prior to his arrival; no doubt Lenex had already made his getaway. Tyler ducked inside the final pod, launching that one manually from the inside. From there, he watched the breath-taking spectacle of plummeting towards the planet's surface. He felt weightless; the only thing keeping him in his small seat the straps across his chest. Clouds whipped past the thick glass windows, giving way to awe-inspiring views of mountaintops in the distance, and a colourful palette of dark green forests, deep blue oceans, vibrant green fields and blotches of greys and browns of the city below. One end of the city extended right the way towards the ocean, ending in a boardwalk and industrial dock.

Tracking systems indicated Lenex had landed in that area, so that's where he was headed. Time to finish it.

~~~~~~~~~~(Earlier)~~~~~~~~~~

The last thing you want to hear when you're tightly locked up in a cell at the bottom of your enemy's ship is a buzzing alarm informing you said ship was going to explode in ten minutes. So naturally, Jake panicked. For those brief few moments between the alarm sounding, and the cell doors opening, he felt utterly defeated; destined to go down with the ship, unable to so much as hold his lover one last time. Fortunately, fate had other ideas. The thick, heavy metal cell doors all rumbled aside simultaneously, filling the section with a deafening, resounding _clang_ which echoed down the long, winding, cell-lined corridor. And after a brief moment of surprised pause, the rebels all charged out of their tiny, under-furnished boxes which had served as their prisons.

Through the door, they snatched up their possessions from the storage area beyond, stopping only when a ship-wide PA sounded. Jake's heart froze for a moment when he heard Tyler's voice, then it was thumping wildly in joy when he finished. He couldn't help but leap into Advena's arms and hug her, despite the cacophony of alarms and monotonous AI announcements. To the hangar, it seemed. And he was even more surprised that when the group of rebels stormed the vast vehicular storage area, dead soldiers littered the floor, whilst less dead soldiers urged the rebels onto dropships and transport shuttles, engines already fired up. This was an opportunity for everyone; these people who had taken Weyland's side throughout the entire ordeal chose this last chance to finally throw it all to the wind and do what was right.

And Jake silently thanked each and every one of them for it. He and Advena hopped onto the nearest shuttle, and it was off. The entire hangar emptied in a matter of minutes, accompanied on the way out by the droning of the on-board AI:

"The option to override automatic detonation has now expired. The ship will detonate in T-Minus, five minutes."

And those who had chosen to stick by Weyland's side despite their second chance to pick the path of the righteous, didn't take long to figure out their damnation. The self-destruct system had been sabotaged, unable to be shut down. So they sprinted to the life pods, which were close to the bridge. They found sealed airlocks and empty launch bays. So their panicked minds refused to give up, forcing their exhausted bodies to run to the other side of the ship, to the hangar. Even though the blast doors were sealed off due to loss of atmosphere in the vast area beyond, it was easy to see through the enormous window that the hangar was quite devoid of transportation. The AI helpfully counted down the time they had left until their deaths.

~~~~~~~~~~(Much Later)~~~~~~~~~~

Jake felt the deep exhale through the shuddering of Advena's shoulder, which he was leaning on happily. They sat together on a bench seat, gazing into the flickering orange light of the bonfire around which a party was hitting full swing. The new Resistance's first proper victory over the Weyland-Yutani; if that wasn't cause for celebration, then nothing was. Jake's eyes drifted momentarily to where Jeica was giggling and trying to teach Mozart how to dance, and a small smirk grew on his face.

Truth was, they were worried about Tyler. He hadn't been on board any of the dropships, confirmed by the roll call the Resistance made once everyone had landed. Dozens of escape pods had landed in the ocean, and those that hadn't were sealed tight and, once opened, empty. That meant he either drowned, perished in the exploding ship, or slipped away into the night. Despite everything he believed and wanted for the Resistance, he was praying it was the latter option. His old friend didn't deserve to be just another casualty, after everything he'd been through and everything he'd done.

" _Tyler_ _was –_ is _– smart, Jake. He made it. He's just out there somewhere, enjoying life alone like he always talked about._ "

"Who's the party-pooper?" Jeica suddenly demanded. Jake frowned and made to explain why he and Advena were having a quiet moment to themselves – Sal's position slumped on the ground a few metres away needed no explanation beyond the obvious, and he made it clear he wasn't in the mood for comforting words or condolences. Before Jake could speak however, he followed Jeica's gaze to the nearby cliff which overlooked the sea, and spotted the silhouette of a lone figure, legs dangling over the side, cast into shadow by the distant light of the fire. Advena spotted the glint of a metallic object in the figure's hands, and immediately the trio pieced it together. A lone figure sitting on the cliff side with a gun in their hands was not a good sign. So they approached.

Jake couldn't help the hysterical chuckle which bubbled forth once they were close enough to make the person out, and they half-turned when they heard the crunch of crisp grass beneath heavy boots behind them. Tyler looked away ashamedly once more, and began fiddling with the gun again – a gun which Jeica recognised as her antique revolver – clicking the cylinder open, spinning it idly, before snapping the gun closed again. There was only one occupied chamber, because the gun was an old six-shooter which took specific, uncommon ammunition, and Tyler had fired five of its shots during the confrontation on Reveles station.

Jake offered his hand, and Tyler merely glanced at it, before returning his gaze to the ocean for a moment. Then he accepted the help and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

"What are you doing over here?" Jeica demanded. "It's freezing. Join us by the fire." Tyler shrugged.

"You guys looked like you were having fun; I didn't want to spoil that."

" _Where have you been?_ " a worried Advena asked, frantically checking him for injuries. Aside from the bite, burn and bullet wound, he was unharmed. " _What took you so long to get here? We were worried about you, Tyler._ "

"Lenex got off the ship," Tyler explained simply as Jeica pried her gun from his hands. He offered no resistance.

"And?" Jake urged. As much as he wanted to celebrate this victory, they needed to hunt Lenex down if he was still out there.

"I dealt with it." The gun clicked open, the final bullet popping out into Jeica's hand. The casing was empty. None dared to break the ominous silence which fell on them, bar Advena, who didn't like the way Tyler held his body awkwardly, never making eye contact; ashamedly.

" _You did a good thing, Tyler,_ " Advena told him eventually, placing her hand on his back as they sat back down next to the fire. " _Thank you, for saving us. You single-handedly took out an entire Weyland ship – you should be proud._ "

"I killed a lot of people," he muttered bluntly.

"That can't be helped," Jake assured him. "Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. And you gave them more chances to do what's right than we did, that has to count for something."

"And what about me? How many chances did I get? What makes me so special that, even when I fought you every step of the way, you still didn't kill me?"

"Because we could see that you know what's right. You were already on our side, you just didn't know it."

"I betrayed you. I sold you all out for my own sake. As much as I'd love to be able to say that it was all part of some elaborate plan, it wasn't. I intended to screw you guys over for my own gain, simple as that."

" _But you didn't,_ " Mozart reminded him, joining the conversation. Tyler couldn't help but grin bitterly at the Xenomorph; their kind was always like that, so black-and-white. " _Why is that?_ " Tyler could tell by his tone that he was merely asking to make him think, rather than to elicit an answer. And truth to be told, it was because as much as he wanted to hate all his friends, his chest tightened at the memories of everything they'd done for him. He would be assaulted with memories of Jeica, helping him settle into the station and doing her best to keep her subordinates from hurting him. Advena, conversationless by voice, but able to communicate through writing and typing, as Tyler had discovered when they were playing video games together one time. Good humoured, always gentle and kind. Jake, while not his favourite person, meant well in the end, never letting anyone hurt those close to him, always quick to comfort those he cared about. And Sal… well, Sal was in a whole different league. Sometimes, it just comes down to that gut feeling that if you don't stop now, you'll never be able to turn back.

"Because I care about you guys, okay? You're bloody impossible to push away, and you remind me of how much I'm afraid of being alone." Advena nuzzled him gently, placing her arms around him affectionately as she did.

" _We care about you too, Tyler. We always will._ " Tyler laughed, his first genuine smile of the night finally showing through. He brushed Advena off as he stood, stroking the back of her neck in return for her comforts.

"I'd love to stay here and party caveman style with you guys, but I'm really fucking tired right about now. I'm gonna go home."

"And where is that, Mister Doelle?" Jake asked.

"Home is where the family is – my real family: Three hulking aliens and two sappy humans. Besides, my ship landed in some nice, hilly fields near the sea; I'm not giving that spot up any time soon." The friends shared a laugh together, and Tyler crouched down next to Sal, who had been sitting on his haunches, watching the entire exchange attentively, unsure of whether he was forgiven. Tyler surprised him by wrapping him up in his arms and pulling their faces together for a long, loving kiss. "And you, you are coming with me."

Jake, Advena, Jeica and Mozart watched the duo disappear into the night, because there was no way Sal could say no to something like that.

"Now, Sergeant Harlor," Jeica announced, clapping her hands together, "it's time for round two of our drinking competition, because I can't for the life of me remember who won last time."


	19. Epilogue

Jake's cabin was cosy. Not spacious, but warm, comfortable, and homey. The living room was a shining example of this. Perfect, polished varnished wood panelling made up the walls, covering the insulation which trapped in the heat of the small radiator in the corner. A large, green sofa dominated the centre of the room, arranged in a circle with two other cushioned arm chairs and a second, matching sofa around a glass coffee table.

Tyler seemed very comfortable on his seat. He lay with his back against Sal's chest, curled up into a loose ball on the Xenomorph's lap, looking more content with life than he had been in years. Sal, for his part, stroked Tyler's hair gently and affectionately, grinning widely at the fantastic feeling of wholeness that came with a completed Bond.

Jake and Advena sat in slightly more dignified positions on one sofa, still close enough to touch shoulders should one of them choose to lean slightly however. They were sipping coffee from steaming mugs between idle chatter, almost mirror images of Jeica and Mozart, who sat on the couch opposite. However it just so happened that the fiery lieutenant and her alien Companion here lounging on opposite sides of the cushioned seat. Understandable, seeing as they had only met about a week or so ago, unlike Jake and Advena, who had been together for months, and Tyler and Sal, who had been together for at least two or three times as long.

" _And we still haven't seen anything special from Tyler,_ " Advena observed privately. Jake mentally agreed, giving the young man a glance. He was blissfully unaware of his surroundings, too busy enjoying physical comforts he hadn't allowed himself in years.

" _Although,_ " Jake put in, " _they may not be fully Bonded yet, so let's not let our guard down._ "

" _Oh, they're fully Bonded alright,_ " Advena assured him. " _Just look at Sal's face._ " Jake supposed the previous day had led Tyler to a lot of epiphanies, not least of all the decision to repair his relationship with Sal. He supposed Tyler had just gotten tired of fighting, tired of hating, and tired of being alone. It seemed a bit quick for Jake's liking, but in the end, they had been in a loving relationship for a long, long time compared to how long they spent fighting. The fact that every aspect of the relationship was literally alien aside, it's not easy to forget how to love someone.

The peace was broken when Parker entered the room.

"Hey guys, having a little after party are we? I was looking all over for you lot. Wanted to talk about our next move, now that we've resolved the Reveles situation," the rebel announced. Tyler scowled at the interruption, and the prolonged stare – accompanied by a raised eyebrow – in response to his current seating choice. The scientist raised a hand to the man and furrowed his brows.

"Leave," he commanded.

"Wow, rude," Parker remarked. "And what are you doing with your hands? You're not a fucking Jedi, Tyler." Tyler shrugged and lowered the offending arm. It was worth a shot. He was still confused to no end about the event aboard the Black Hand, but had resolved not to tell anyone. _He_ was scared of the implications of what had happened, so there was no way he was going to tell the others and cause mass panic. Besides, he didn't understand it yet, or even know for sure if he could do it on a whim, or even ever again for that matter. Maybe it was just a one-off thing. The only thing he could guarantee was that he was going to find out all the 'why's and 'how's, or die trying. He was a scientist at heart, after all.

Parker shook his head and continued. "Anyway, we've got plenty on our plate. Weyland's causing trouble, as always, but the more pressing issue is the Insurrectionist –"

"The more pressing issue," Jake interrupted, "is that these people have been through a lot of shit, and are currently living in small, concrete rooms in a cramped underground bunker. We're safe here, and I intend to keep it that way until everyone's rested up and living in proper houses like this one." Parker made to give a rebuttal, but was promptly cut off by Jeica.

"Xenos need to construct a Hive," she informed him. "And they haven't got a Queen yet. If you want the bugs on your side, you're going to need to chill for a few months while they get themselves sorted out."

"Not to mention we've now got a couple of thousand potential Hosts here," Tyler added. "We have the resources to expand the Hive exponentially, and we're going to need to train up the guys we have. Face it, until everything gets settled in here, we're grounded."

"And, given some time, we could fix up the Merciful Indictor so she's good to launch again. I'm sure your rebel friends wouldn't mind the wait if you brought them back a kick-ass battleship," Jake finished it off. Parker made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan, before slicking back his hair and rolling his eyes.

"Fine," he conceded. "Take as much time as you need. Just remember that lives tick away as the clock hands turn." Parker didn't look too pleased when he turned heel and stalked out of the homey cabin, but hey, what can you do? The friends merely grinned cheekily to each other and continued sipping their coffee.

Yup, it was going to be a busy life indeed.

 **A/N: And it's a wrap folks. Stay tuned for the sequel, which will be coming along at some point after I finish the other four things I need to write.**


End file.
